The Accountant's Assistant
by akiismarina
Summary: Hermione has a new job as a personal assistant to the new Head of Foreign Affairs at Gringotts working under no other than Bill. Just how personal of an assistant she becomes still has yet to be found. Slightly AU
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first try at a Hermione/Bill pairing. A very special thank you to onecelestialbeing for posing the idea in a review to my other story.**

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**Chapter 1**

"Christ… you're not gonna puke are you?" Ginny stared at her best friend, and unofficial sister, in horror. Hermione groaned, looking pale and maybe a little green. "Bloody hell… breath!" She commanded, fanning the 21 year old with a magazine.

"I don't think I can do this Gin," Hermione said faintly.

"Sure you can! Come on 'Mione, you've got this. Gringotts is lucky to get you. Hell, I'm pretty sure Kingsley's still bitter he didn't get you to come to the ministry and work directly with him."

"How can you be so sure? I heard there's a new supervisor, and I'll be working right under him! What if he doesn't like me? Or worse… what If he does? What if he turns out to be old, wrinkly, gross and smelly and he tries to demand sexual favors like in some porno?" Hermione's voice grew more and more shrill and louder as she spoke, her imagination obviously getting out of hand. She took a deep breath and opened her mouth to start up again when a hand clamped over it. At the same time an arm snaked around her waist and pulled her against a warm chest, and a nose nuzzled just below her ear, slightly hindered by a pair of glasses. Hermione quickly relaxed against the chest, and soon the hand was removed from her mouth.

"Harry," Hermione greeted lightly.

"Better?" He asked. She nodded and let him step away from her.

"Morning," Ginny smiled and kissed her boyfriend hello. "Thank god you're here." She added, grinning in amusement at just how quickly Ron or Harry could calm her with a hug and a well-placed nuzzle.

"Freaked by the first day on the job?" Harry asked rhetorically. Ginny nodded as they watched Hermione stare at her reflection, fixing her impeccable image. She wore a simple white button down and black slacks that covered all but the toes of her high heel boots she wore. Her blouse was unbuttoned to reveal her collar bone and the heart locket she wore containing pictures of her parents and Harry and Ron. A simple, tasteful watch was trapped to her left wrist. Her hair was left loose except for a clip holding the top half of her hair back out of her face. Her shoulder blade length hair ran free in gentle, soft ringlets. She wore simple make up, so light and minimal it looked as though she wore none at all.

"You should hurry… you've got 20 minutes before you're supposed to meet with your new boss." Harry warned. Hermione gasped and ran out of the room. The couples stared at the door for a moment, and were surprised to see Hermione quickly run back in to the room.

"Purse!" She half sang, snatching the handbag and running back out. Harry and Ginny turned to one another and shared a soft laugh.

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Hermione sprinted best as she could down the gorgeous marble floored hallway. A glitch with the floo network, an overly friendly dwarf and several crotchety goblins left her funning at least a good five minutes late. In a borderline hysterical panic she ran into her new boss's office, gasping to catch her breath.

"I am so, so sorry… sir!" Hermione called out, barely even in the front door. "I swear this is not a habit or anything. It'll never happen again, I swear!" Hermione babbled.

"Of course… there's really no need to be so concerned. Five minutes here or there is hardly worth the panic. I barely got in myself." A deep voice resounded from the closet.

"Oh…right. Thank you sir." Hermione called, stepping further in to the office, curious about the owner of the nice voice.

"No need for the formality," the voice grew louder and clearer, indicating the owner had turned and was approaching. "You can just call me…"

"Bill," Hermione gasped, interrupting him. They stood still as statues, staring at one another in shock.

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	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Hermione stared at the eldest Weasley blankly. She hadn't realized how tall he was on their past, short encounters. He was at least six feet, easily towering over her only five foot stature. It was easy to see he had a well-muscled figure beneath his black suit jacket, black slacks, pristine white shirt and striped tie of several shades of blue. The small fang dangling from his ear and smoothed ponytail were the only outright visible remnants of his hard and usually dangerous work around the world.

Bill was in shock. He knew he'd get a personal assistant with his promotion, but this was… unprecedented. Never in a million years would he expect Hermione Granger – one-third of the Golden Trio, war hero, top of her class with record high grades – **the** Hermione Granger to be the one standing in his office.

"Ahem," a brusque but polite cough broke them from their trances. In the doorway stood a goblin. It was hard to tell for sure, but Hermione thought he was younger… by goblin standards at least. "The staff is here. We've all gathered for your greeting in the board room, as you requested." The goblin said.

"Okay, I'll be right there," Bill said. "Um… you go ahead and get settled in." He addressed Hermione, touching her shoulder lightly as he walked by. It was impossible for her to not notice how big and warm his hand was. She turned to watch as Bill walked out of the room with the young goblin, both actually chatting in Goblin. Hermione shook her head in wonderment.

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Bill sat comfortably in the plush boardroom chair, at the head of the luxurious solid wood table. The staff, a mix of several species, reported one by one about their shift, individual work and even a bit about their personal lives. The meeting was pretty informal and entirely unconventional. Meetings were never held for the entire staff and most of the staff, being of non-human species, was never allowed in the boardroom. It was an ancient form of segregation put in place by the pure-blood founders of the bank that had prevailed only partially from tradition. Until now. But most of these men, yes Bill considered them men, were friends he'd developed a deep trust with over many, many years. He also had plans to hopefully get these men to open, however slowly, to the idea of women joining their work force.

These were just a few of the many reasons he'd been just picked for his new job, but was in the unique position of his employers being willing to do whatever it took to get him. Hence the reason he was running a staff meeting despite his title officially only being Head of Foreign Affairs. It was a part of his demands, which also included a rather… hefty pay raise, much better work conditions for all of the non-human workers – particularly the goblins, full control over his department – making him more or less his own boss and… a personal assistant.

He wanted the best they could find, who could help juggle his work load in his own department and the help and counsel he was frequently asked to provide other departments and rather large figure-heads in society. It was also important that whoever they hired was discrete and would be able to help keep aspects of his private life – like grocery shopping, cleaning, and personal plans – were kept track of and taken care of either personally or with trust-worthy help. He knew it was a tall order, so his employers' choice was surprising when he considered Hermione and how she would undoubtedly handle the job. But when he really thought about it, it was surprising. To say the witch was brilliant would be an understatement. To the point that he could see her as Headmistress of Hogwarts or even becoming the first female Minister of Magic easier than he could envision her as a PA.

Come to think of it, he was surprised no one mentioned she had gotten a job at Gringotts. No one knew the exact title of the position from his promotion yet, but he would've thought that at least Ginny would've brought it up at some point. He shook his head, knowing better than to try and understand his family. Smoothly, he turned his attention back to the meeting, knowing he could count of Grimbles, the young goblin from before, to fill him in later.

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Hermione's knees buckled, just a little, before she caught herself. _"Pull yourself together!"_ She ordered herself roughly. In a way only she could manage, she pushed aside the events of the morning as a whole and allowed her mind to only think about the task at hand. With silent, wandless magic she set about her work. The office was expanded, and then a wall was put up with a door in the center, effectively adding a room in front of Bill's office.

She then reached into her purse and pulled out her shrunken office furniture, silently commending herself on her choices. Everything was very classy and would fit in with the atmosphere of the environment perfectly. It'd cost her a small fortune, but she had more than enough financial security to splurge.

She placed a desk towards the back of the room facing the front door. She carefully aligned it in front of the door to Bill's office so she could play the role of receptionist perfectly. The desk was sold cherry wood, at least 6 feet long with a ledge about a foot from the desk top that extended out in both directions so she could use it as a shelf and someone visiting could use it for writing or resting a bag. Just over a foot and a half above that was a counter top made of gold granite. Along one side were two rows of drawers, all wooden and lined with metal. The row closest to the end held three large, deep drawers. The second row closer to the center of the desk contained drawers that grew steadily smaller and shallower as they progressed further up the desk until the very top consisted a series of small drawer boxes. There was a large space for a chair, on the other side of which there were two rows of filing cabinets, also metal on the inside. They were already filled with folders, some filled some not. At the space for the chair there was a long, shallow drawer, metal inside with a desk organizer built into one side and open space in the opposite side. The entire desk was already filled with all of the office supplies she would need, several appointment books and planners – marked by their uses, and all of the files she would need that she insisted be sent to her when she first accepted the job so she could become familiar with them. She also had a few calendars she could view easily, a picture of her and her parents, one of her and the boys, and one of her and Ginny all spread along the desk top.

On the other side of the desk, all that could be seen was the solid wood back of the desk, the ledge and the countertop. On the countertop she placed a bell for the off chance she wasn't at the desk, two card holders (she'd ask Bill for some of his business cards and bank cards to put in them later), a bowel of Hershey's kisses, a bowel of peppermints and a small vase of flowers. She was careful to arrange everything to not appear over-crowded or block her view of the rest of the room from the desk.

She also enlarged a plush leather desk chair. She'd chosen the cushiest model they had, and had it modified to have adjustable height, be able to roll around and a flexible back so she could lean back on especially long days.

A couch and chairs were also enlarged and placed against the walls. The couch was dark mahogany wood with red cushions. She placed it to one wall with end tables made of matching wood on either side. The chairs were oversized, overstuffed armchairs with black and silver vertical stripes. They were placed on the opposite wall a feel feet apart with side tables made of matching wood in one side of each of the chairs and a plant in between, just large enough to afford privacy to whomever sat in the seats. On the two tables by the chairs and on the table closest to the door next to the couch she spread out several popular wizard and muggle magazines and newspapers, each of which she'd arranged subscriptions to at amazing discount prices. On the last table she placed a muggle machine that used heated water to make various hot beverages almost instantly and sugar and honey. Beneath the table she placed a small stainless steel refrigerator filled with mini water bottles, small bottles of assorted creamers and milk and a few small bottles of different types of juice and soda. She placed trashcans around the room- one next to her desk, one beneath it (there was more than enough room for it), and one next to the side table with the machine. After a lot of consideration, she charmed to walls to be cream-linen color.

Finally satisfied she had to room looking almost perfect with the proper atmosphere and tone; Hermione glanced down at her watch and frowned when she'd realized the whole thing had taken just over 20 minutes. She would have been faster if she could decide how to arrange everything faster.

Moving quicker, Hermione slipped into Bill's office, closed her eyes and concentrated. For the next 15 minutes she worked to place the strongest protection charms she could on the entire perimeter of both offices and extended several feet into the hallway, taking care to also cover the ceilings and floors as well.

Finally finished, Hermione put a hazelnut coffee in to brew, sat at her desk, and began to read through a folder containing descriptions of both her and Bill's job descriptions for the fifth time in the past few day, despite having already memorized them both. She was struck yet again by how extensive Bill's was, much of it coming from what he wanted from the job. Unfortunately, that meant her job description was a little obscure. Hermione shrugged and relaxed into her chair, figuring she'd ask Bill for specifics when he got back.

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	3. Chapter 3

Sorry to interrupt the story but I was hoping to recruit some help. As I've been writing (5 chapters in my notebook so far!) I realized why I felt like I was struggling with progressing the plot. I'm very unfamiliar with writing about Bill and Bill/Hermione interactions. So I was hoping some of you would take pity upon my poor soul and write in telling me what you think about or want to see Bill's personality like and what his relationship with Hermione should be like. It progression... any of you thoughts really. Thanks so much!

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**Chapter Three**

Grimbles laughed heartily at the joke Bill cracked, the stares and shivers of the witches and wizards they passed served only to make them both laugh even harder. Bill grinned to himself, feeling relaxed in his friend's presence. The appreciative looks women of various species sent him, and friendly smiles men and women of various species gave where lost on him. But Grimbles didn't miss any of them. Actually, he observed them all with growing amusement, knowing each and every one of them was lost on his companion.

"So I hope I didn't interrupt anything before," Grimbles hinted no so subtly in Goblin.

"Not exactly," Bill hesitated a little as he answered in Goblin thankful that Grimbles'd realized that he'd want to keep the topic as private as possible. Grimbles shot him a look. "Well you know of Hermione Granger. Everyone knows her story. So… I guess she was the last person I expected to come running through my office door as my personal assistant."

"So you were star-struck by the girl," Grimbles concluded, frowning. He was sure there was more to it than that.

"No!" Bill's voice rose as he answered in English, shooting Grimbles an affronted look. Ignoring the curious glances others sent his way, he continued, taking care to speak in Goblin again. "When have you ever known me to get star-struck? I've worked with all sorts of important, famous people – I can't **afford** to be star-struck. Beside, you're forgetting something. Ron's my little brother and mum practically adopted Harry the second Ron began to write home about him in their first year. And it didn't take long for her to view Hermione as a daughter either. The point being, I grew up helping change the diapers of one-third of the Golden Trio and am used to seeing the other two-thirds at family dinners and events pretty regularly. There's no way I'd be star-struck at seeing Hermione. It'd make no sense," Bill babbled a bit. Grimbles nodded, listening to his boss's rambles, realizing quickly that the man was probably even more confused than he was.

"So then… what?" He asked, knowing Bill would understand the non-sensical question.

"I don't know," Bill admitted with a heavy sigh. "I know I asked for an extremely well qualified PA but… I think she's over qualified. Not just for the job but to be a PA at all. I can't imagine why she would choose such an over demanding, stressful job. She could easily have any job position in the world she wanted.

Plus… I can't believe no one bothered to tell me she was coming to work for Gringotts! Granted, I haven't told anyone exactly what my new position is, but still… I would've at least expected Ginny to tell me. Maybe order me to make sure she was comfortable and happy in her new job." Bill trailed off. Grimbles nodded again, remembering Bill tell him how the sister he was so close to was best friends with the Granger girl.

"It is strange," Grimbles began, only to be cut off by Bill's arm flying out in front of him, effectively bringing them both to a dead halt. "What is it?" He asked as Bill stared at the door to his office, still a few feet away.

"Charms," Bill murmured. "Strong ones." Grimbles took a step back so he could peek out from behind Bill. If nothing else, he knew to trust Bill's very well-honed skills when it came to charms.

Steadying his breath, Bill tentatively reached out with only a bit of magic to explore the charms. It took only a few seconds for him to realize what they were, and quickly delve further into them.

The charms were extremely well woven, and he was increasingly impressed with them. They were multiple layers of the only truly unbreakable, extremely powerful protection charms. They could only be removed by whoever put them there and only if the person was completely willing, had full control over themself, and had good intentions in removing the charm. It was very high level, difficult magic. The reason he was so quick to delve in and explore was because he was familiar with the charms and realized immediately that Hermione was the one who'd put them in place. Also, one of the additional effects of the charms was she'd know the moment he'd probed the charms, leaving him no reason to pretend he never did.

Other effects included not just denying access to beings or things seeking to do the inhabitants harm, but actually repelling them. On the off chance someone or thing did get in, the room and charms would turn against the intruder doing whatever it takes to protect the inhabitants while transporting them to wherever the prearranged safe place was. The charms would drain the magic and even physical energy of the intruder and use it to fight them and get everyone to safety. He quickly realized that the charms were extended to every external surface that could lead into the office, including air ducts, and extended a few feet out away from the room in every direction.

Bill retracted his magic, thoroughly impressed. For a moment, he wondered why she would think such extensive security measures were necessary. Then he remembered just what his new position entailed, and that they were both war heroes, though she was much more acclaimed then he, and with good reason too. Then he remembered how she'd orchestrated the all too epic break in at this very building only a few years ago. He was suddenly grateful that she'd thought to put all of the charms up because there was no doubt there were still people out there that would like to hurt one, if not both of them.

"Bill?" Bill jumped, having completely forgotten that Grimbles stood behind him.

"Sorry… everything's clear," Bill turned as he assured him everything was safe. Grimbles eyed Bill curiously. Bill gave him a quick, easy to understand explanation as they continued on their way to the office. They entered and yet again froze in their tracks. They both stared the beautifully designed reception area in place of where Bill's office used to be. They quickly recovered enough to realize that Hermione must have expanded the office to accommodate the extra room.

"Can I help you?" Hermione's voice called out drawing their attention to the desk. "Oh, Bill!" She quickly recovered from her surprise and shot him a closed mouth smile. He was struck with the thought that such a stiff look didn't quit her.

"It looks great in here," Bill said sincerely.

"Indeed it does. Bill's lucky to have to you," Grimbles added. They were rewarded with the bright flash of a smile. Both smiled back, quickly charmed.

"Thanks err…" she hesitated and furrowed her brows at Grimbles.

"Oh right…. Hermione, this is Grimbles, an old friend," Bill introduced.

"Nice to meet you," Hermione surprised them both by standing and purposefully crossing the room to shake Grimbles' s hand. Bill's opinion of her sky-rocketed at her unusually polite actions. People rarely considered Goblins worth a handshake, and he sure as hell had never met someone who would cross a room just for that very purpose. It was just plain unheard of for a witch or wizard to treat Goblins like equals the way he did… the way she just did.

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	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

"Did you just get a coffee or something?" Bill asked suddenly hit by the delicious smell.

"My coffee!" Hermione gasped and ran over to a strange looking machine on one of the tables, he high heels clicking merrily. She removed a steaming cup of coffee, and began to fix it.

"That coffee came out of there?" Bill asked as he sat on his knees on the couch, facing the machine. He leaned over the arm to examine it closer.

"What is it?" Grimbles asked standing on the opposite side of the machine.

"It's called a Kureg. Try it – go ahead and pick one of the little drink cups." Bill looked thorough the spinning display of the drinks and choose hazelnut coffee, just like Hermione's.

"Good choice," she grinned at him. She pressed a button on the top of the machine and it opened to reveal he used drink cup placed in a carefully formed holder. She laughed as the men initially jumped back, and then leaned closer in anticipation. She removed it and tossed it into the trash. She then placed the new drink cup in its place and closed the top. They could hear the soft foil lip being pierced as she closed the compartment. She then opened another part of the machine, took out her wand, and let steaming hot water flow from the end of it into the compartment. Bill could see a little window showing how much water there was, and saw her stop at the line marked 'max'. She grabbed a mug from the handful present and placed it on the metal rack at the bottom of the machine, and pressed a large button in the center of the panel. They heard the machine begin to make a whirling noise, and a few seconds later steaming hot coffee began to stream out, into the cup. Hermione fought back a giggle when the men's eyes grew wide as they watched the steady stream of coffee fall. When it finished, she reached out and handed Bill the warm mug. She struggled to fight back a blush when he reached out to take it from her, his large hands easily wrapping around the oversized mug and her own hands. They were warm and soft, except for a few sporadic, old callouses the seemed neither hard nor soft.

"Thanks," the warm timbre of his voice pulled her mind back to the present.

"No problem. Now you can come make some whenever you want," Hermione watched transfixed as she slide her hands from beneath his. "Are you sure you don't want to try one?" she turned toward Grimbles, Startling him from his curious observation of the two humans.

"Oh yes, actually I have to get going. My family will be wondering where I am," Grimbles smiled. He's worked the night shift, and the lack of sleep was beginning to catch up to him rather quickly.

"Okay, maybe next thin. It was very nice to meet you Mr. Grimbles," she once again extended her hand. Grimbles swallowed a lump in her throat at her gentle mannerisms. He shot a glance to Bill, who saw the emotion of his face. A look of approval was on his.

"Yes, it was a pleasure to Miss Granger," he gripped her hand.

"You can use the floo network in my office," Bill said around sips of his perfectly fixed coffee. "Tell everyone 'hi' for me."

"Thanks, I will," Grimbles promised as he walked to Bill's office.

"You really did do an amazing job here. Those charms are impressive," Bill focused his green-blue eyes on her. Hermione's mind went blank for a moment; she's always had difficulties with compliments.

"Oh yeah, I meant to ask you!" she yelped, grateful for the new topic. Bill blinked, startled by her sudden outburst. "I was just reading over the files on our job descriptions… not that I haven't learned them already," she hastily added as she grabbed the filed, a clipboard and quill-pen from the desk. "And I had a few questions."

"Okay, go ahead," Bill said watching her every move as she returned and sat sideways in the center of the couch. He turned and mimicked her, leaving less than a foot of space between them.

"Well, you're job description is detailed. It seems to cover quite a lot as well," she trailed off thoughtfully, them quickly picked up her train of thought. "My description, though, seems a bit obscure.

"Yeah. Unfortunately, although there's a lot listed in my job description, a lot of it isn't very specific either. Which, unfortunately means we're both kind of left in the dark. One thing I know for sure is I'll probably have to do a bit of travelling, and I'll need you to come with me. Smaller, more local groups will probably not require much travel but it's impossible to say for sure without knowing the exact circumstances.

Otherwise… well ideally I need a second me running around, but my sister claims that she can barely handle one of me, much less two," Bill chuckled remembering Ginny's dry comment. Hermione snickered, easily imagining the interaction. Bill continued, "I have just two priorities – my family and my job. In that order. I need to know that you're there taking care of all the little stuff so I can get my work done and be with my family. That's everything from paperwork to tidying up to keeping track of appointments, both here and in my personal life. I was worried before, but I know I can trust you with my personal matters as well."

Throughout his explanation, Bill had been looking to the side, thoughtfully while Hermione hunched over her clipboard concentrating on writing down what he said. But at his concluding thought, she heard a change in his tone. His voice went from thoughtful and detached sounding to warm with something else she couldn't identify. That's what made her eyes dart up; she was surprised when they were met by his warm gaze. Clearing her throat to distract herself from the man in front of her, she looked down to quickly san her notes.

"Well you're right… you don't have to worry. Betraying my employer would be rather idiotic… and betraying someone part of what I consider my second family is just plain unthinkable." Hermione looked back up to meet Bill's gaze straight on. He was surprised to see a sudden fire in her eyes. He knew he was looking at the determined witch that'd help his brother and Harry survive the odds and withstood untold tortures never once considering giving into the Death Eaters for half a chance of a reprieve. He was pulled from his thoughts when Hermione continued. "I'll take out a few ads to find some sort of full time housekeeper to keep everything at your place clean and orderly. I'll try and find one who can cook for you too… and stipulate that shopping and house errands are a must. Let's give it… oh no more than a week. All applications can be addressed to me here so I can review them. Then interviews… I'll give you the applications and results of the interviews that seem best for the final choice. That'll be a huge help and make your spare it so your spare time can be used to de-stress and see you family." Hermione planned out loud, drafting the ad already.

"Sounds good," Bill nodded relieved to have the task in Hermione's capable hands. He glanced down at his watch and was surprised to see it was already well after eleven. Thoughtlessly, he rested his hand on Hermione's bent knee. When her leg jumped a little he realized he'd surprised her. "The morning's already past…" A knock at the door cut him off. They looked at one another then the door. Pressing her hand to his own leg, Hermione stood and walked to the door ready to greet the unexpected visitor.

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	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Hermione opened the door cautiously. Charms or no charms she couldn't break the habit of extreme caution the war had instilled in her. Unseen behind her, Bill's body grew tense, her caution catching. In a matter of seconds he'd devised a plan of how to get between her and the visitor almost instantly, if needed, as well as alternatives if Plan A didn't work. Hermione opened the door and squealed loudly making Bill jump up. Before he could rush to her aid she leapt into the arms of the visitor.

"Hey 'Mione," Harry laughed, hugging her back tightly. He looked over her shoulder to see Bill looking like he was ready to kill someone. He raised his eyebrows as the older man relaxed upon seeing him. It was an interesting reaction, though the man himself was an enigma to anyone outside of the close Weasley family.

Bill narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms as the hug continued well past a simple greeting. He knew he would never have to worry about either of them even considering doing anything that would hurt Ginny. But he still found himself inexplicably irritated by the obviously loving hug.

Harry could see Bill's agitation, and was equally surprised and intrigued by it. He opted to file it away for later, instead focusing his attention on tightening his arms and nuzzling just below Hermione's ear, expertly maneuvering around his glasses. He knew Hermione would need a good, long hug when she'd squealed and jump into his arms. The more stressed she felt, the more touchy-feely Hermione became. He was glad he'd decided to drop by, because Hermione rarely let anyone see her in this kind of phase. The list of people she was willing to turn to full fill that need as even shorter with non-other than Crookshanks at the top of the list. He continued his ministrations, studiously ignoring Bill's blatant staring, well after the tension left her body.

"_Finally_," Bill thought when the two friends broke apart. "Good to see you again Harry," he greeted politely.

"You too Bill. It's a bit of a surprise though," Harry responded cheerfully.

"My baby sister didn't come too?" Bill asked purposefully maneuvering around using Ginny's name in a way that reminded Harry that Ginny's entire well-being was a very high priority for the extremely protective older brother.

"No she decided to stay home. I think she was hoping for some company of a more… **familial** nature," Harry hinted rather bluntly. The whole family knew it was Bill's first day today and Ginny had obviously been very hopeful to get some alone time with her favorite brother. She tried to hide it, but it was easy for Harry to see the hopeful shine in her eyes that grew steadily as lunch time drew closer and closer. It even further motivated him to come see Hermione so she could have a chance at that private bonding time without having to worry about him. It was a rather happy coincidence that the object of her attention happened to be here as well; now he didn't have to worry about the possibility of Ginny being let down.

"Okay… you'll be okay?" Bill turned to Hermione, his tone and the look he gave her making it clear he'd stay if she even hinted she wouldn't be fine.

"Absolutely!" Hermione answered immediately and firmly. Bill nodded and strode quickly to his office, undoubtedly to floo home.

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Hermione handed Harry a bottle of water, and kept one for herself. They sat on the couch much like she and Bill had, eating burgers and fries Harry had bought from a muggle dive they frequented. She'd just finished telling him about the morning. Harry hadn't stopped grinning since she told him about how Bill and Grimbles had reacted to her demonstration.

"So I guess the first day was a success," Harry spoke around a particularly large bite of burger.

"Guess so," Hermione mumbled, knowing he was referring to her panic before leaving. "Although I can't **believe** I'm working under **Bill**!" She said emphatically, her eyes big. Unable to resist, Harry raised his eyebrows and teasingly shot her a lewd look. "Not like that!" She yelped, pushing his shoulder. They both laughed, struggling to swallow their food around their laughter. There was a moment of silence as both continued to scarf down their food.

"Not that you'd mind," Harry murmured, his eyes carefully trained on her. He hid a smile behind shaving a handful of fries in his mouth when she blushed an impressive shade of red. He nudged her leg with his toe.

"Maybe…" she shrugged evasively, looking to the side. Her blush grew impossibly deeper, much to Harry's amusement. She glanced up at him, rolled her eyes and push against his shoulder again at the shit-eating grin on his face. Harry just laughed and squeezed the hand on his shoulder. When they finally finished their lunch they turned see they both were sitting on the couch facing the other wall. Harry stretched his legs and patted his stomach in satisfaction.

"Getting a gut there, huh Potter?" Hermione grinned, poking his lean abdomen. She rested her head in his shoulder and curled her legs up to rest on the edge of his thigh. Harry chuckled good-naturedly and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"So are you gonna do anything?" He asked. Hermione looked up at him in confusion, until he gave her a significant glance. She looked down and held his free hand, blushing as she shrugged helplessly.

"He's my boss," she semi-whispered by way of explanation. Harry squeezed her shoulder silently in understanding. Out of all of her friends, she felt the freest talking to him. He never judged her, and never crossed the limit with teasing. He was protective, but not overly so. He was the brother she never had. Not a pseudo-family like the Weasleys… but true blue brother. The biggest difference was probably their lonely childhoods in the muggle world. Harry shifted a bit in his seat, and then twisted so he could reach in his back pocket.

"I was wondering what was poking me!" He exclaimed looking at the shrunken objects in his hands. Hermione leaned over for a better view as he quickly returned them to their proper size and let them fall into his lap.

"Oh, I totally forgot," Hermione laughed seeing the intercoms.

"Wanna set them up now?" Harry offered. Quickly they both jumped up and got to work. There was a simple one that would be placed outside to act as a doorbell. It connected directly to the larger one on Hermione's desk. A smaller one was also placed on Bill's desk. The ones on their desks were charmed so only Hermione and Bill would be able to hear what was said through them. Essentially, they were for added security, privacy and efficiency.

* * *

Bill stepped through the fireplace and was greeted by the comfortable familiarity of the Burrow. Silently, he walked to the kitchen and peeked around the door to see Ginny, seated so she could see out the window to the pathway to the front door. He smiled at the adorable, hopeful look on her face; she was so distracted watching the lane she didn't notice that the family clock was now indicating he was home. He was glade Harry had come by and told him she was waiting, he knew she'd never admit to it and he didn't like even the possibility of making Ginny sad. In a way, he supposed he owed the boy wonder.

"Expecting someone?" His voice was laced with humor as he crossed his arms and leaned against the door jam. Ginny jumped in surprise, he eyes darting over to him.

"Bill!" She screeched. She leapt up so quickly she knocked her chair over. Squealing happily, she leapt into Bill's arms, hugging him tightly. "Here, come sit. I'll make you something to eat." Ginny pushed him toward the table and began to pull out the makings of a sandwich. "So how has the first day been? You know, I realized that you never told us what your new position was." Bill leaned back and watched his sister.

"Pretty good Gin… being the new Head of Foreign Affairs isn't easy. I guess I'm lucky Hermione's such a big help," Bill spoke deceptively casually.

"Head of Foreign Affairs? That's great!" Ginny spoke excitedly as she hurriedly made Bill's sandwich by hand, just the way he liked it. He watched as her fluid movements faltered slightly as she finally processed the rest of his statement. "Hermione's helping you? But that'd mean that…"

"She's my new PA? Yeah," Bill cut her off. Ginny turned at his sharp tone.

"So … I don't understand. You said she was helping but… you're upset." Bill cocked an eyebrow at her.

"I never said anything about being upset with her or her work," Bill said pointedly.

"Was it because Harry went to see her?" Ginny gasped. Bill shook his head, and fixed a hard gaze on her. His eyes appeared icy blue, like they often did when he was in a foul mood.

"Why didn't you tell me she was coming to Gringotts? Or for that matter, why did she come to Gringotts in the first place?" Bill spoke evenly, careful to not raise his voice. Ginny turned back to the sandwiches to finish making them.

"She didn't want me to. When she told us about the job she immediately followed up by insisting that no one told you. Especially since we knew you would be working at a higher level job right here in the country. She didn't want any undue benefit from you or some sort of pity work friendship just because she's mine and Ron's friend. It's hard enough for her to be treated like a normal person just because of who she is. If that were paired with having you take her under your wing…" Ginny trailed off with a shrug. She finished off the sandwiches and could hear Bill sniff the air expectantly.

"But that still doesn't explain why she came to Gringotts. As a PA no less," Bill pointed out as Ginny placed a plate in front of him. She sat across from him with her own plate. His stomach grumbled as he eagerly snatched up the sandwich and moaned after the first bite. Roast beef marinated just right and sliced h-so-thin with equally thinly sliced honey baked ham, and a ton of melted provolone cheese all on perfectly toasted whole wheat toast. An absolute favorite of his. Ginny laughed into her own bite as he all but inhaled some homemade cucumber salad and potato chips made from their mom's secret recipe.

"You're right," Ginny conceded. Bill looked up, not dropping his impressive rate of consummation. "Hermione's… over qualified for her job. Anyone with half a brain could see she's probably over qualified for the mass majority of jobs out there. She's had job offers from every job you could imagine. But they wouldn't have made her happy. She didn't want prestige or over the top paychecks… she's set for life as it is. She wanted a job that was close to home and satisfying. A challenge too."

Bill polished off the last of his lunch, considering everything Ginny had said. Everything seemed to fit. Ginny took the silence as a chance to gulp down the rest of her sandwich and gather their plates together to send levitating to the sink to wash. Bill was so preoccupied he hadn't even noticed that she'd skipped chips and salad. She was glade to not have to worry about him teasing her for watching her figure for Harry. But it was pretty out of character for him to be so distracted; Ginny wasn't able to decide if the change was suspicious or just plain curious.

"So, are you still mad at me?" Ginny asked him, a hint of a challenge in her tone.

"Sorry," Bill gave her a sheepish look. Ginny stared at him for a moment, just to make him squirm. Finally relenting, she stood and pecked him on the cheek.

"Shouldn't you be heading back to work?" She called carelessly over her shoulder as she exited the room. Bill glanced at his watch and cursed under his breath. He should have been back in the office ten minutes ago. Shaking his head, muttering about it being one of **those** days, he sprinted in to the living room and stopped just barely short of barreling into Ginny. She held out the pot of floo they always kept handy.

"Thanks Gin," Bill kissed her cheek, tossed the power in and disappeared into the green flames.

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	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Bill stepped through the flames, slightly disoriented. He stumbled over the marble step in front of the brick fireplace. He gripped the marble mantel piece to steady himself, barely one missing the one of the many pictures of family and friends that adorned it. He shot a glare at the offending step, momentarily wishing the charms against apparation weren't in place on the building. He began to make his way to his ornate, antique desk when a knock drew his attention to the door.

"Come in," he semi-commanded as he glanced out the large picture window behind his desk. He turned at the sound of the door opening, crossed his arms over his chest, leaned back against the desk and crossed his ankles.

"Oh good, your back," Hermione popped her head in. Bill struggled to not fidget sheepishly. "Would you mind Harry using your floo hook-up? We just found out that Romilda Vain works here… and is still up to her old ways." Hermione began to giggle, apparently remembering the discovery. Her laughter was contagious and Bill found himself grinning despite having no idea who this Ms. Vain was or just what her 'old ways' were. Suddenly, she was jolted and pushed out of the way by Harry, who just rolled his eyes at them.

"Do you mind?" He asked desperate to escape before Romilda found an excuse to come back. Bill swept his arm in the direction of the fireplace, and let his hands rest on the edge of his desk on either side of his upper thighs.

"Harry," Hermione called just before he tossed a handful of floo power in, suddenly serious. "Maybe you should skim over the whole Romilda working in the inter-office mail room thing… you know what happened last time." Harry looked pained for a moment and nodded. He disappeared in to the green flames. Seconds later his head reappeared through the flames, startling to the remaining two occupants of the room.

"Hey 'Mione… about what we talked about during lunch… I know there's a lot of draw backs if things go South… but there's also a lot of good possibilities too. Just remember… we all got your back and…. if it makes you happy it makes us happy." Harry smiled gently at her, then let just as quickly as he appeared.

Bill watched the exchange in silent interest. It was easy to see the bond the two shared and how strong it was. For some strange reason watching them made him happy ad even grateful that they'd come into his family's life. He smiled softly to himself watching the wave emotion that passed over Hermione's face. Her eyes we wet with unshed tears and a broad, happy smile spread across her lips.

"Last time?" Bill asked curiously, wisely deciding to pretend he hadn't seen a thing. Hermione jumped, having obviously forgotten where she was. Quickly recovering she began to chuckle darkly at the memory, convincing him that she'd definitely been spending **way** too much time with Ginny.

"Oh yeah… a delivery came for you," Hermione quickly changed the subject making Bill narrow his eyes in suspicion. He watched as she quickly exited the room then reentered with a thick manila envelope in her hands. "Let me know when you're through and have a moment. I have something to talk to you about.

"May as well take a seat, this'll just take a few minutes." Bill gestured to the rest of the office vaguely as he walked around the desk to sit.

Hermione glanced around trying to decide if she wanted to sit in one of the plush leather armchairs in front of his desk or on the overstuffed maroon couch on the far side of the room facing the fireplace. Finally she opted to sit on the couch, not wanting to take from Bill's concentration as he read the thick pile of parchments from the envelope. A gentle silence filled the room, only broken by the sound of rustling parchment and the occasional scratch of a quill whenever Bill made a notation on one of the forms or another.

Finally having a few minutes of down time, and not feeling like she was trespassing in his office like last time, Hermione examined the room. There was an end table between the end of the couch and the corner of the room on which stood a small lamp. . There was a ledge at the windows that held a few picture frames, a small plant and artifacts from places around the world. Through the window was a beautiful view of the countryside, courtesy of their location at eh far corner on the back of the building as well as the added advantage of their height in the building. His desk was filled with an organized chaos. A beautiful Persian rug covered the floor, except for a few feet left bare in front of the opposite side of the room, undoubtedly due to the presence of the large fireplace. The room was filled with deep red tone and lighter, softer gold tones. They were Gryffindor colors, but mild ones, broken by older shades and colors, but mild ones broken up by other shades and tones creating a very rich but comfortable atmosphere to the room.

Bill found himself taking twice as long as normal to go through the stack of parchments. Deep down inside he knew his lack of attention was directly linked to the witch gracing his couch. However, he chose to remain in denial, telling himself he was just moving slow because it was his first day. And that's exactly the story he intended to stick to should anyone question him. In the meantime, he divided his attention between the paperwork and the woman to his left. When he finally finished he sat beck, relieved, and regarded Hermione as she examined the room.

Hermione froze, finally realizing that she hadn't heard any parchments rustling or the scratch of the quill for a minute or two now. She flushed slightly, but quickly tried to pretend it wasn't there as she turned her gaze toward Bill. Her face heated up quickly when she was met by Bill's unabashed gaze.

"There was something you wanted to talk to me about," Bill trailed off, his voice unusually low and on the softer side.

"I uh… I just wanted to explain the intercom system Harry and I put in earlier," Hermione said, quickly regaining her composure, not even sure when it'd eluded her in the first place. Mentally chastising herself, she stood and approached the desk. Bill watched her surprisingly excited to see her approach.

Hermione forced herself to ignore her proximity to Bill and to concentrate. She began to explain the magically adapted muggle system, knowing helplessly that she was babbling and her voice was just a little too high-pitched.

If anyone were to ask him was Hermione was talking about, all Bill would be able to say was that it had something to do with the funny looking box on his desk. He was actually proud of himself for being able to deduce that much. It felt like his mind had frozen completely. All thought had flown far, far away leaving him able to only let his traitorous page eyes take in Hermione as she spoke, undoubtedly taking a few snap shots to conjure up later to torture him with. She was oblivious as his gaze took in everything from her high-heeled toes peeking from beneath her dress slacks to her slick, controlled hair style. His eyes continued to dart back to lips and eyes every few seconds before continuing their perusal.

"Got it?" Hermione's voice sounded chipper.

"Absolutely," Bill confirmed, the chipper tone mixing with mild surprise just enough to prompt him to respond with immediate surety.

"Great, then I'll leave you to it," Hermione nodded and quickly exited the office and snapped the door shut, silently commending herself for maintain her composure.

Bill smacked his forehead, rested both elebows on his desk and ran his hands over his hair, messing up his ponytail a little. "_What the bloody hell just happened?_" He thought.

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	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Hermione sat heavily at her desk and sucked in several deep breaths. When her pounding heart didn't slow, she took even more, even deeper breaths. She licked her lips, once… twice… it wasn't working. Her lips felt dry and rough, like sandpaper; her throat and tongue felt sticky and swollen. In a haze, she jumped up and almost tripped over herself as she hurried to get a bottle of water, which she quickly guzzled down. Panting slightly to catch her breath, she tossed the now empty bottle in the trash and ran her hands over the sides and back of her neck. Taking yet another deep breath, she closed her eyes and forced her mind to clear.

After a few seconds, she opened her eyes and blinked blankly. Still blank, she walked slowly back to her desk, appearing as though she were in a trance. Falling back into her chair, she crossed an arm over her chest. She rested her other elbow on her arm and began to play with her bottom lip, pinching and tugging at it lightly. It was an old habit and a sure sign she was deep in thought. This was a strange… experience for her. She'd never experienced anything like it. She didn't even know what to call it. Furrowing her brow, and subconsciously tugging her lip even harder, she thought over the strange, and possibly compromising, situation.

The far off look in her eyes disappeared and she sat up to grab some writing equipment, not noticing the slightly throb in her mildly abused lip. Quickly, she drafted a letter, moved her quill several inches down the parchment and drafted an identical letter. She repeated the process twice more, folded the parchment three times, taking care to make the edges sharp, and carefully split it into four separate letters. Each letter was placed into an envelope and sealed with a charm to ensure only the intended recipients would be able to open and read them. She carefully addressed each one, unintentionally pressing just a bit too hard on the envelope because of the tension that had found its way back into her body.

Just as she finished addressing the final letter, she froze, her hand poised just above the envelope. She bit her bottom lip and sucked on it somewhat hard. It was an even older habit that had led to toying with her lip a long time ago as an ill-fated attempt to break the habit as a whole… or at least avoid a suspiciously swollen lip. These days she only did it in more dire moments, when she was mulling over something so hard it threatened to give her a headache, and confusion and uncertainty were at play, more often than not preventing her from reaching a satisfying conclusion.

"_How the hell am I supposed to send these?_" She thought, realizing she didn't know where to get an owl nearby. She hesitated a moment, shot a quick glance at Bill's door and jumped up. She semi-slunk out the door and walked briskly down the hall, trying very hard to seem as though she were very busy and knew exactly where she was going, though at least one of the two was completely untrue, and the other pretty debatable. She was so distracted, she almost didn't notice the young man kneeling in the middle of the hall, gathering a slew of parchments from the floor as people passed by, uncaring they were stepping on them, and kicking them further and further down the hall. She nearly did the same thing, until she crashed into him, knocking him over and nearly toppling over herself.

"I'm so sorry!" she and the young man both apologized quickly.

"No it's my fault, I should have been paying more attention to where I was going," Hermione insisted.

"Well I shouldn't have been crouched in a busy hallway like that," he returned quickly and he bent to gather the parchments once again. Hermione quickly ducked to help him causing him to flush a deep red. "No please, Miss Granger… ma'am, you don't have to do that." Hermione barely batted an eye at the fact that the stranger knew who she was.

"Do you work here? You seem a bit young," Hermione inquired somewhat bluntly, purposefully ignoring his protests as the heavy hallway traffic began to steadily thin as people reached their apparent destinations.

"Yes… well, kind of. I'm a paid intern ma'am. A minimum wage go-for," the boy explained. His tone grew harsh, but not so much at her question as in embarrassment and contempt at himself. "I'm only 16 so they're allowed to keep me that way for a few more years easy. Not that it maters… they'd never hire me for a better position anyway.

"Because you were born without magic," Hermione stated matter-of-factly.

"Uh… yeah. It's called being a squib. How did you know?"

"I know what it's called; I just choose not to use it. None of those terms matter much to me. Your bloodline or magical abilities don't **make** you; they're just a small part of who you are," Hermione spoke firmly as they finally finished gathering the parchments. She handed her stack to the awe-struck boy. "Anyone who was raised with magic would automatically use it to gather everything, even if there wasn't this much to gather. Just as someone who was not raised with magic would only use magic to gather everything in a case like this one. There were so many parchments, and so much foot traffic, the only reason to not use magic to collect them all would be if you couldn't." Hermione explained simply. "So tell me…" she trailed off significantly. They boy raised his eyebrows, waiting expectantly. Hermione quirked her own and bobbed her head forward just slightly. After a few moments of just eyeing each other significantly, he finally caught on.

"Oh!" He blushed deeply and looked to the side. "I'm Reginald… but please call me Reggie."

"Right, well Reggie I don't suppose you could point me in the right direction to find an available owl?" Hermione asked hopefully.

"Of course," Reggie brightened considerably, happy at the chance to help. "We have an owlery open to all employees. If you'd like I'd be happy to show you the way."

"That'd be great," Hermione smiled gratefully as she followed him down the hall.

"When we get there you can register your wand too. You did bring it right?' he glanced over at Hermione and bobbed his head in approval when she nodded in confirmation.

"What do you mean register my wand? Hermione asked searching her brain for the facts she'd learned about Gringotts over the years.

"It's this cool system they just put into place a month or two ago. You just have to register your wand, which registers your 'magical signature'. Then, whenever you want to send out something you just have to send out your 'signature' and an owl will come to you. The man in charge of the system was even kind enough to hook up a button system so I can call an owl too." By now they had travelled the length of the building to now be near the opposite rear corner from Bill. Reggie gestured for her to enter the door-less entry before him. Inside, the area looked just like the owlery at Hogwarts. "Norman? Someone here to see you," Reggie called out as he entered behind Hermione.

"Come in. Come in," a startlingly deep voice called in response. Hermione had a wild thought, wondering if James Earl Jones was secretly a wizard with an owl fetish. "I'll be out in just a moment." Hermione quickly scraped the idea; the voice was too deep even for Mr. Jones himself. She swore she could feel the deep baritone reverberate deep in her chest. They waited patiently, listening to the soft sound of items being shuffled around for a moment or two before a figure appeared in a doorway Hermione hadn't noticed before.

When he finally entered the room, Hermione couldn't help but to stare momentarily. Norman was slightly on the pale side, even for an Englishman, with classic Norse looks. His eyes were an impossibly pale blue and his hair was so light she couldn't tell if it was blond or white or both. He was neither thin nor muscular and didn't seem quite six feet tall. Overall, Hermione was disinclined to believe her was the owner of the voice they'd just heard. At least, until he spoke.

"Good afternoon miss," he greeted politely. His and Reggie's lips twitched in amusement as Hermione's eyes widened and her jaw dropped, just a bit, in disbelief. She doubted she'd ever be able to reconcile his voice with his appearance.

"Norman, Miss **Granger** here was looking to send out something and register her wand," Reggie explained in an overly solemn tone as he drew himself up to his full 5'6'' frame importantly. "Miss Granger, may I present Norman, the head of our external mail system."

"Please, just call me Hermione," Hermione insisted, fighting off embarrassment as she politely extended her hand.

"It's a pleasure and an honor milady… Hermione," Norman half whispered as he lightly grasped her hand, turned it palm down to rest upon his own, and bowed over it in long forgotten manners of a time long past. Hermione flushed, unused to such gentle, chivalrous treatment. Norman straightened, and grasped her hand lightly between his own.

"You probably don't remember this… but you saved my great-granddaughter's life. And the child she was carrying. She lived in a small town at the north coast of England. Death Eaters had taken over… she was… was tortured and a woman… a **monster** intended to take her child from her right then and there and leave her for death. It was months before the baby would be ready to enter our world… they were both doomed to die slow, merciless deaths.

Just before it happened, there was chaos. Men and women of all ages stormed the village, saving countless lives, all under your command. They were all so committed to you and their cause. And you… you stopped… a second later and I would have lost the two of the most important people in my life. You stayed with her, giving her first aid until medics arrived. If you hadn't she wouldn't have lasted… and the comfort of your presence… I can never thank you enough. None of us can," Norman's voice cracked throughout his story, his words delivered haltingly as he struggled to hold onto his composure. He finally broke off, tears streaming down his cheeks, unable to say anything more. A few tears few down Reggie's face as well, moved by the story his old friend had never shared before. Also moved by the memory and the raw emotion it in sighted in her, and seeing it reflected on Norman's face, Hermione sniffled and cried freely.

"Cheryl and Luca," Hermione whispered, holding the man's hands tightly.

"You remember?" Norman gasped. He squeezed her hands painfully tight and lifted them to his face reverently. He cried openly now, painfully, sobs wrecking his shoulders as he whispered "she remembers. I can't believe she remembers. Oh Merlin thank you," softly over and over like a prayer.

* * *

Unseen next to the doorway to the owlery, Bill was hidden, leaning heavily back against the wall, his body suddenly feeling weak. His arms were crossed over his chest tightly, almost in a self-hug, while he struggled to breathe around the lump in his throat and fight against the pinprick of tears in his eyes.

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	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Bill forced himself to remain composed, or his hiding spot would be compromised. A disillusion charm made him good as invisible, but he doubted anyone would believe that the wall had a case of the sniffles.

* * *

After having calmed down and managing to push his reaction to Hermione to the back of his mind, Bill went back to work to finish a mound of paperwork he still had to do before the end of the day. After playing some serious catch-up, he gathered together documents that had to be filed or sent out through the inter-office mail. He figured out the intercom pretty quickly, but didn't receive any answer. Shrugging to himself, he stood to bring the documents to Hermione by hand, but when he exited his office, he was greeted by an empty reception area. He frowned and his eyed narrowed, finding the room to feel strangely lacking without her presence, wondering where she'd disappeared to. Quickly, he dropped the parchments on her desk somewhat haphazardly and opened the front door to peek out.

He was just in time to see Hermione begin to walk in the other direction, and turn the corner, talking to someone he couldn't see. Curious, Bill began to follow them, casting a disillusion charm to avoid being caught.

* * *

He had followed, hiding his presence without a second thought. Not in a million years would he have done it in the past. But something about this woman, and this day, he found himself acting without even thinking, not even realizing what he was doing until it was too late. Damned if he knew what compelled him to do it, but now he was glad he did.

* * *

After a while, the tears began to ebb, and violent sobs faded into uneven, deep, shaky breaths. Silence ruled the room as Hermione and Norman tried to wipe away one another's tears. His own face now tears stained, Reggie offered Hermione his handkerchief silently. It was yet another gentlemanly gesture she was unaccustomed to.

"Thank you," her voice was husky. She dabbed away her tears, then Norman's. As she handed back the handkerchief, she cast charms to remove the evidence of their tears. It was a charm she was far more familiar with than she cared to admit. A small owl flew from its perch and landed on Norman's outstretched arm. He cleared his throat momentarily.

"This girl here should do well for you. She is quite fast," Norman murmured. Hermione nodded and attached her letters. The three occupants of the room watched as the owl took off in a strong, rapid flight. There was an extended, thoughtful silence in the room as the small owl slowly faded into a speck in the sky. Just as she crossed the horizon Norman turned to Hermione, somewhat hesitantly. "I was wondering if you would consider allowing my family and me the honor of having you over for dinner. I know they would all appreciate the opportunity to properly thank you. Even Luca," Norman met her eyes surprisingly shyly, looking as though he scarcely dared to hope.

"I always wondered what happened to them. I'd love to see how they're doing," Hermione nodded, smiling at the broad smile that spread across Norman's face. "Just let me know when you don't mind the extra company. I'm sure it'll be a pleasure to meet everyone."

"Of course, I'll talk to Eleanor as soon as I get home. She'll figure it all out, and send you a letter."

A knock at the entrance drew their attention to the doorway. Hermione gasped, seeing Bill standing there, she'd totally forgotten about work. "_Damn it Hermione, get your head in the game! This is your __**job**__. You can't go running around doing whatever the hell you please. It'd serve you right if he fire d you right her and now,_" Hermione scolded herself, her head tilted down as she stared a hole in the ground, her brows furrowed, her lip once again under attack.

"Afternoon Mr. Weasley," Reggie called out brightly, oblivious to Hermione's distress.

"Afternoon Reggie… Norman," Bill forced his voice to sound chipper as he approached the trio, his eyes focused on Hermione. Hermione heard his approaching footsteps and automatically stepped back as several feet so smoothly neither other man noticed. "I was wondering where you'd disappeared to, but I see you beat me here," he patted Hermione on the shoulder figuring the reason for her strange reaction easily. He stepped up to the window and looked out it for a moment, just to cover the fact that he'd only crossed the room to try and reassure her a little. He stared blankly at the horizon just long enough for Hermione to realize what he'd just said and turn to him in confusion. "I was actually going to bring you here with me, Reggie told me about the new system and I wanted to get both of us registered quickly." Bill improvised before she could question him. Technically it wasn't a lie. He did want to get them both registered quickly, and he had intended on being the one to bring her down; just not at this exact moment.

"What a happy coincidence," Norman smiled. His impressive voice somehow failing to break Hermione's focus on Bill. Something about him was wrong. His demeanor, his behavior… **something**. "If you will follow me, this will only take a few minutes."

"I better head out. I'll catch you later Norman… Mr. Weasley." Both men smiled in response. "It was an honor to meet you Miss Granger. Thanks for your help."

"Thank **you**," Hermione responded with a smile and a wave of her own. Feeling somewhat as though on autopilot, she followed Bill and Norman through the door that Norman had originally appeared from. Inside was obviously his office. It was undeniably cluttered, though Hermione was fairly certain that Norman knew where absolutely everything was and would most likely be unable to find a thing if he did clean up. It was also free of any evidence of the owls' presence just next door, most likely thanks to some charm or another.

Quickly, Norman registered their wands by holding the tip of his wand to the tip of each of their own, one at a time, and using a brief incantation. After the, he taught them both how to send out their 'signature' to call an owl. They repeated the charm several times before Norman finally took down the barrier charms on the office so the birds could fly in and out.

He wasn't surprised to see them both put down their wands. It was common for people to want to try and summon the owls with wandless magic. Normally he simply allowed everyone to give it a few tries, knowing they wouldn't listen anyway if he tried to tell them they wouldn't be able to do it. He watched and waited for Bill and Hermione to start trying, knowing that once they were satisfied it wouldn't work, he would have to explain once again that with a wand the magic was very simplistic, but without the wand's guidance it was extremely difficult to perform. After several seconds of silence ensued, he began to glance back and forth between the two, wondering who would make the first move. He nearly shouted in surprise when a large, powerful bird such a dark shade of brown it appeared black flew into the room and perched on Hermione's shoulder. Seconds later, a light brown, very young owl zoomed in to perch on Bill's head. Comically, Bill turned his head to grin at Hermione, the bird's body remaining stationary, and now facing Hermione as well. Hermione laughed when the owl blinked at her well… owlishly before settling more comfortably on Bills head.

"Well how about that? I have had witches and wizards of all sorts of power levels come in here. Never before have any of them been able to do that," Norman explained, stilled floored by their amazing display. He extended an arm and hummed a low note. Immediately Bill's new hat took flight and landed on his arm. "Well, I suppose I should not be too surprised, all things considered."

Quickly they both thanked Norman for all his help, exchanged a few more quick pleasantries and left. They left in a somewhat comfortable silence, each pretending not to notice that the silence was largely enforced by Hermione's fast paced power walk.

"_Bloody hell she's fast! What the hell's she running for?_" Bill thought wildly, watching her outpace his long, powerful stride.

"_I'm not running away, I'm making a tactical retreat,_" Hermione kept repeating to herself. Each time, that annoying little voice in the back of her mind responded, "_Yeah right._"

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	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

Sirius wiped his hands on a kitchen towel, and turned to peel and chop some garlic. He barely noticed when a newly arrived Remus suddenly appeared, as though from thin air, and began to pull out plates and silverware to set the table. They moved in silence; Remus' jokes about Sirius' new found domesticity had long since been run into the ground and brutally beaten to death. Remus quickly finished set the table while Sirius finished his pre-work, and began to cook Balsamic Chicken, a favorite of Hermione's. Minutes later Draco strolled in baring several bottles of the best elf wine money could buy. Just a few feet behind him was Harry, carefully balancing a huge cake, courtesy of Mrs. Weasley.

Motley crew though they were, they were also four of the most trusted men in Hermione's life. Like most people, while Hermione had a good relationship with her parents, she didn't talk to them about everything. Ron wasn't much of an option… they just weren't like that. At first that had left her with only Ginny and Harry as her confidants, but as time passed she grew closer to the other three men and found them to be some of the best confidants, advisors and friends a girl could ask for.

Harry placed the unwieldy cake on the counter and turned to find three pairs of eyes trained on him intently. "What?" He demanded slightly defensively. Two and a half pairs of eyebrows were raised questioningly.

"Since when does the Gryffindor Princess send out an urgent request for a meeting, sounding so frazzled?" Draco asked rhetorically, his voice dripping with something akin to cold sarcasm. "Especially during her **first** day at a new job."

"Did something happen today? You mentioned thinking about going to visit her last week," Remus clarified, his voice somewhat distant sounding. Sirius stood next to him; his back turned to the group as her carefully minded the chicken. The subtle tension in the way he stood that served as the only indication that he was just as concerned about the unusual plead for help as the other two.

"Yeah I did, but she seemed fine. I know that she'd been worried about meeting her boss but…" Harry was quickly cut off by three very sharp looks and yet another outburst from Draco.

"Seemed fine? **Seemed** fine? Who's the good-for-nothing, dickless, little mrmmrff!" Draco was silenced suddenly when Remus slide behind him and clapped a hand tightly over his mouth.

"Who is her boss… did you meet him?" Remus once again translated, ignoring Draco's struggles and muffled curses. His voice was uncannily low and hard, making Draco freeze, his eyes wide suddenly aware he was at the mercy of a werewolf who considered Hermione to be something akin to a part of his pack. Sirius, having just finished dinner and covered it, stepped up and rested a hand on Remus's free arm, carefully controlling his own sharply protective anger. The familiar touch from the closest person to family and pack he'd known growing up was enough to cool Remus off. There was palpable relief in the room as Draco was freed.

"I was trying to tell you – there's nothing to worry about, her boss is Bill," Harry explained. He leaned back against the cashier and tucked his hands into his pockets.

"Being a Weasley doesn't automatically mean innocence Harry. Bill seemed like a decent enough man the past few times we've met, but none of us actually know him," Remus pointed out. His voice grew steadily more and more dangerous, bordering on a growl. Sirius' hand tightened on his arm; he didn't dare say anything knowing his friend could already sense his own similar feelings, and hearing it would just add fuel to the fire. Unfortunately Draco failed to think about the angry werewolf, too distracted by his own protective streak.

"I don't give a flying fuck who he is! If there's **one mark** on 'Mione… if he did or said **anything** to her… I'll tear off his god damn balls with my bare fucking hands and shove them down his pathetic little, mother-fucking throat 'till he dies a slow and painful death." Draco hissed violently. The nearly identical growls from Sirius and Remus said they had similar plans of a slow, painful murder. Throughout Draco's declaration, Remus' brown eyes grew lighter and lighter until they appeared to be golden. Unwittingly, Sirius' hand tightened as he subconsciously sensed how close his old friend was to losing control.

Harry openly gaped at the three men, momentarily floored by how protective they were of the little witch. He was only slightly less surprised when he realized that he felt the exact same way, despite having extremely close ties to the Weasley family. The others noticed his hesitation and surprised and immediately misinterpreted it. A protective ferocity blanketed them. A violent tremor ran over Remus' body and an animalistic growl echoed low in his chest.

"Easy Mooney," Sirius' voice was all but a growl itself as he slid closer and dragged his hand up from Remus' arm to cup it tightly over the back of Remus' neck in a similar fashion to an Alpha wolf disciplining a lower one, or easing a cub's nerves. His automatic, instinctual response paired with the positive reaction of Remus' eyes darkening to a honey brown indicating he'd regained a relatively strong hold of his inner wolf showed how strong and intimate their friendship truly was.

"No, you don't understand!" Harry quickly amended to further sooth them, suddenly aware that he was all that stood between the three extremely powerful men and Bill's untimely death. "Trust me, I'd be right there next to you if I thought Bill had done anything wrong, but he hasn't. If anything he's proven to be a pretty great boss."

"Then why the bloody hell did 'Mione call us together so urgently?" Sirius demanded roughly, feeling it was safe enough for him to speak up now that Remus was in control. There were a few other things he'd like to say, but the lycan was still on edge and he didn't want to risk it.

"He's right, she'd never call us all together without good reason, and knowing her, she's more likely to down play an issue than cause us to worry," Remus' lip curled distastefully at the thought. Harry remained thoughtfully silent for a moment, before a smirk spread on his face, reminiscent of the youngest Weasley. Caught off guard, the others stared blankly at him.

"Something tells me this is gonna be one hell of an explanation," Draco smirked as he levitated four butterbeers out of the refrigerator and to the table. By silent consensus, they all sat, opened a beer and took a few swigs. "So… pray tell Potter, what's eating at our girl that could make even **you** smirk," Draco drawled. Harry smirked yet again and leaned back, relaxing in his chair. With humor shinning in his eyes he quickly told them about that morning and recounted the events of his lunch visit, carefully skipping over any reference to a certain mail clerk. After he finished catching them up, several beats passed in silence before slowly, one by one, they began to chuckle.

"So the mighty Gryffindor Lioness just may have met her match," Remus shook his head still laughing.

"And a ginger no less," Sirius and Draco added in unison, causing everyone's laughter to redouble. As their laughter died down they relaxed back in their seats, and sipped on the last dregs of their beers silently.

"This is the first she's been truly interested in a man isn't it," Harry said sounding almost haunted. The three nodding heads holding three far-off, contemplative looks said he wasn't the only one finally seeing the big picture.

"Probably the only one she's felt a real interest in since…" Draco trailed off as tension creeped back into the room.

"So what do we do now?' Sirius asked, voicing everyone's thoughts.

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	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

The rest of the day had been uneventful, much to the relief of both Bill and Hermione. They were both too busy juggling work with their whirlwind of thought and emotions to handle anything more demanding. Their interactions with one another were thankfully minimal – Hermione occasionally walking in to drop off or pick up some paper work.

Bill glanced at the clock at the corner of his desk and tsked softly. He was going to be late for dinner at the Burrow. He grimaced at the thought of his mother's reaction to his tardiness and promised himself he'd leave as soon as he finished this last letter.

* * *

Hermione quickly filed the last of her parchments, prepared the ones she'd need first thing in the morning, organized the rest of her supplies and leaned back with a tense sigh of relief. She was finally finished for the day, and only twenty minutes after her dinner plans were set to start. She pulled her belongings out of her charmed bag, enlarged them to their normal size and placed them on her desk. Pushing back feelings of dread, she stood and knocked Bill's door softly.

"Come in," he responded quickly. She slide in and stood next to the door.

"I just finished everything," Hermione said when he looked up from his letter. "If there's nothing else you need," She trailed off questioningly. Bill shook his head and smiled tightly.

"You go ahead, I'm almost finished here myself. I guess I'll see you at dinner," he added, suddenly remembering that Ginny'd mentioned that Hermione and Harry were both currently residing at the Burrow at their mother's insistence.

"Dinner!" Hermione gasped looking shocked. She'd forgotten all about that. "I have outstanding plans already. I can't believe I forgot to tell your mom." Hermione winced guiltily knowing the woman would be looking forward to hearing about her day.

"Don't worry about it," Bill assured her. "I'll explain it to her," he promised.

"You too," Bill turned back to his letter as the door clicked shut behind her.

* * *

Nearly a half hour later, Bill attached his letter to a regal looking owl and sent it on its way to Switzerland. Glad to have made it through the day, he grabbed his cloak from the closet. Excitement at the prospect of finally having his mother's cooking again, he began to whistle tunelessly.

"_Wonder if Ginny told anyone about lunch,_" he thought idly. He grabbed a bit of floor-powder and within seconds stepped into the Burrow.

"There you are!" Was all her heard before being pulled into a smothering embrace. "Imagine, my son Head of Foreign Affairs!" She continued, releasing him as she eyed the fireplace expectantly. "Hermione didn't leave with you? You better not be over overworking her. Working late together is one thing, but to **leave** her there to do all the work. You should know better than that!" Mrs. Weasley scolded him, carrying on and on.

"_Guess that answers that question_," Bill thought dryly. "Relax Mum. Hermione left over half an hour ago. She'd forgotten to write and tell you that she had outstanding plans. She seemed frazzled so I told her I'd explain," Bill said gently. For a moment she seemed put out, but she quickly recovered back to her initial cheer.

"In that case you go on and get cleaned up. Dinner will be in the table in five." She quickly pecked him on the cheek and bustled off to the kitchen.

Within minutes, Bill was dressed in faded old jeans and an old tee shirt left from his last visit a few years ago. Unfortunately, they now both fit rather snug, leaving his shirt stretched tightly over muscular chest and biceps and his jeans molded to his muscular thighs and bottom. Fortunately, the jeans were well worn enough that he need not worry about them ripping, and they cupped his manhood rather comfortably instead of mercilessly compressing it. Making a quick mental not to bring a few changes of clothes from his new flat, he hurried down the stairs lead by his growling stomach.

No sooner did he enter the dining room was he greeted with a wolf whistle and wiggling eyebrows by George. He flushed a little and began to chuckle lightly when a quick slap and squeeze to his rear end sent his skyrocketing. Covering his back end protectively, he whirled around to see Fred leering mischievously at him. Fred gave a small, quick nod and simultaneously wiggled his eyebrows at him once.

"How **you** doin'" He intoned jokingly. Grinning good-naturedly, Bill grabbed Fred in a headlock and mussed his hair roughly. Uproarious laughter filled the room as the two began to wrestle one another. Quickly, George leapt onto Bill's back to aid his twin. Even outnumbered two to one Bill easily overpowered them just as Mrs. Weasley and Ginny walked in with the last of the dishes.

Instantly, the rest of the Weasley's present filled the table, hugging Bill and congratulating him on his promotion. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were seated at the two head of the table. On one side of the table, Bill sat between Fred and George. He was the only person on earth that the twins not only allowed between them, but they insisted on it. They'd been going back and forth between living part time at home and at the flat they owned above the shop. Directly across from George, next to their father, sat Percy, prim as ever and most likely destined to **never** leave the nest. Originally, Ron had been sitting across from Bill, having moved in with Harry and Hermione after selling their flat, but Ginny had pushed him to the side, possessive of any attention she could get from the eldest Weasley boy. He began to eat, the long awaited taste of his mother's cooking leaving him in such bliss in took several minutes of occasionally glancing between Ron and Ginny before realizing something was wrong.

"Where's Harry?" he asked suddenly.

"Sirius invited him to a last minute dinner at Grimmauld Place with Lupin," Ginny said between bites.

"They do that every so often… those two are the closest thing to family he has," Mrs. Weasley added. "I insisted Harry bring some of my chocolate truffle cake though."

Small talk ensued throughout the rest of the meal, everyone waiting to catch up with Bill at once. It was nearly two hours before dinner and dessert had been finished and the dishes were done. Fully satisfied, Bill bid everyone good night and apparated to his flat fully intent on a nice hot shower and falling into bed.

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	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

For what was easily the millionth time, Hermione mentally cursed her air headedness. She was so distracted when she walked out of the bank that she'd immediately rushed to the train station to promptly get on a train going the **wrong way**. She sat in her uncomfortable seat waiting for the train to reach its first stop, still a good twenty minutes away, before she could get off and find a place to apparate.

Sudden vibrations in her lap made her jump slightly and stare at her purse, momentarily dumbfounded. Shaking out of it, she dug in searching for her cell phone. Very few people had the number and they all knew to use it if it was imperative they contacted her instantly. "_Ah, there!_" She thought when her fingers made contact with the smooth plastic. "_I could've sworn I turned it off before I left this morning,_" she made a face; surprised that such a rudimentary task had slipped her mind. She made a different, even funnier face when the screen remained black indicating the phone's power was indeed shut off. Realizing she could still feel vibrations in her lap, she reached back into the purse and pulled out a second cell phone.

She grimaced, trying to predict which of the four waiting men it was before looking at the screen. A few years ago she'd bought a whole bunch of cell phones and charmed them to work with magic. She'd then given the each of the majority of the Weasleys and the four men waiting at Grimmauld Place. They'd all been showed how to use them and each other's numbers. At Hermione's insistence, they only used the phones in emergencies, and had one another saved under code names only the owner of the phone would know. She grinned when she saw the caller id say that 'Robin' was calling. She always got a chuckle from the name - she'd assigned it to Harry after Robin from the Batman series because she occasionally liked to tease him by calling him 'The Boy Wonder'.

"Hey," she finally answered the insistent phone.

"Hey 'Mione. Just wanted to make sure you're okay; we've been hanging out here for half an hour already," Harry said sounding slightly concerned.

"Yeah everything's fine. I just left ten minutes ago, but I won't be there for another twenty, at least," Hermione's frustration creeped into her voice.

"You can't apparated?" Harry asked somewhat mindlessly.

"That would be a negative. But I'll get to it as soon as I get off the train," Hermione was mindful of the muggles nearby.

"Wha… why're you on a train?"

"I was distracted when I left… it wouldn't be so bad if I were going the right way," Hermione grumbled the last half. She made a mock laughing face at the phone, silently imitating Harry's chuckles on the other side of the line.

"Alright, well don't worry about it. We're okay here and Sirius says he already put charms on everything to keep the food warm and fresh a while ago," Harry assured her, humor still coloring his voice. "We'll see you soon."

"See you soon," Hermione muttered before disconnecting the call. Annoyed as she was, she couldn't deny how lucky she was to have such loyal friends. Closing her eyes against the migraine building at her temples, she rested her head back against the seat and thought back to when she first struck luck.

* * *

I originally wanted to include flashbacks to how Hermione became so close to the four men, but they were too long. Instead I've decided to make each one a separate story and make them parts of a series called Hermione's boys. Please look for those in place of updates until I've finished all four. The first one will be posted tonight.

_**Reviews make the pen flow faster**_


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"Bastard!" Sirius spat out softly as he added yet another card to the numerous others held in his left hand in a rather clumsy attempt at fanning them out.

"Sirius," Harry's voice was grave as he met Sirius' eyes. Sirius raised his eyebrows, not bothering to hide his slight grimace. "Do… you… have any twos?"

"God damn mother-bloody-fucking son-of-a-bitch!" He growled as he flung the three cards at his laughing Godson.

"Hello?"

"Saved by the bell!" Sirius cheered, throwing his cards down. "Hey," he called indignantly as the others leapt out of their chairs and ran out of the room ahead of him.

* * *

Hermione placed her purse and coat on the coat rack near the door and rolled her head to try and loosen her neck as the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps met her ears. She turned just in time to see Draco sprinting towards her, followed closely by Harry and Lupin with Sirius bringing up the rear.

"Oh no! No, no, no, no, no!" She lifted her hands in surrender to the impact to come. Seconds later, Draco's body collided with hers as he wrapped his arms tightly around her. His arms tightened even more as he lifted her up and spun in a half circle just in time for Harry to collide with her back, sandwiching her tightly between them.

"Dog pile!" Lupin and Sirius called in unison moments before slamming into the trio one after the other, successfully toppling the entire mass over on itself.

"Some **air** please," Draco groaned from the bottom of the pile amid everyone's laughter. Carefully, everyone disentangled their bodies, stood and righted themselves.

"Come on, let's eat," Lupin was already making his way to the kitchen, led by his demanding stomach.

"Wait, you haven't eaten yet?" Hermione asked as she made her way to the dining room. Draco and Harry were close behind her.

"Course not," Draco smiled at her as he began to pick up the cards spread across the table.

"You **did** say you wanted to meet for dinner," Harry added.

"But it's so late; you really didn't have to do that," she said.

"Don't worry about it, it gave us a chance to kick Padfoot's ass in Go Fish," Lupin shot her a wink as he entered the room levitating a series of platters in front of him.

"You mean it gave Harry a chance to kick everyone's ass," Draco muttered as Sirius bumped Lupin from behind, jolting him and, subsequently, his wand so the platters nearly fell.

"Terribly sorry," his voice dry and clearly not the least bit apologetic.

At the same time, Hermione shot Harry a curious look and silently asked him, "Go Fish?" Harry's only response was a sheepish grin and small shrug. She shook her head and grinned back at him, her shoulders shook with silent laughter as she sat and filled her plate with food. Quickly the others followed suit and soon they were all eating ravenously. It had become common for them to eat together like this, so none of them felt compelled to try and strike a conversation.

* * *

"Sorry about asking you all here so suddenly and then being so late," Hermione finally broke the comfortable silence as Harry began to distribute generous sized pieces of Mrs. Weasley's cake. "I hope you didn't have any trouble slipping away."

"Not really," Sirius' answer was dry, quick and the same as every other time she asked the same question

"All I had to do was say Sirius wanted me to stay the night for bonding time," Harry cited his usual excuse for their get-togethers as Lupin nodded and raised his hand by way to say he'd done the same without have to try and speak around his overly large bite of cake. It was common for them to get together, making the excuse even more viable.

"No, but Luna wanted me to say 'hello' to you all," Draco spoke off-handedly. He focused hard on his cake, determinedly avoiding the sudden stares of the other diners. To best afford Hermione, and even on occasion each other, the safety of being able to speak openly, they'd all come to the consensus to keep their meetings private. But the reason for their stares wasn't that Draco had obviously let the cat out of the bag. After all, he wasn't near enough to anyone to tell their secret to that didn't already know it, or would pose a threat to it.

"So you told her?" Hermione asked, so surprised she wanted to clarify the idea.

"I hope you aren't mad," he spoke sincerely to her. "I just know you trust her and she'd never tell anyone so…"

"No, of course not. I'm just surprised she was okay with it," Hermione alluded to the fact that none of the women he'd seen in the past, no matter how short the affair, despised the time he spent with Hermione to the point that he never even considered telling them the truth about his occasional disappearances. It was probably a big part of why none of them had lasted long. At least none of them until Luna; the two had been going for a month and a half and seemed to be content with each other so far.

"Yeah… I don't know she just seems to understand. You know – us… and her," Draco just shrugged, a hint of a smile on his face. The other men nodded, understanding completely.

"That's great, I'm so happy to see you're happy with each other," Hermione smiled brightly, making Draco smile in response.

By now, they'd all managed to positively inhale their cake and were leaning back in their chairs, their stomachs full and happy. Out of habit, Harry was leaning back on the back two legs of his chair when he leaned back just a little too far and, with a gasp, nearly toppled over. Hermione rolled her eyes while the others chuckled at him.

"And you wonder why Ginny always yells at you," she muttered. Draco and Harry's faces morphed into expressions that clearly said they were sorely tempted to make a comment that was less than complementary. The arch look Hermione instinctively shot them quickly stopped them in their tracks.

The uncountable times they'd done it before left Lupin, Sirius and Draco casting cleaning charms to clear the table and wash the dishes at the same time, each smoothly avoiding charming the same thing. As the dishes took care of themselves, the group made their way to the library, rearranged the furniture just so, and sat. Hermione was on the couch sandwiched between Harry and Sirius; her head rested on Harry shoulder and Sirius' arm was draped over the back of the couch, resting over her shoulders. Draco and Lupin sat in armchairs across from her, so close that everyone's knees knocked. Both leaned forward with their elbows on their knees; Draco traced random patterns lightly over her knee while Lupin held her hand between his own, gently rubbing his thumbs over it.

"I told them about lunch," Harry murmured after they were all settled. Hermione blushed, much to the amusement of the others. Then she began to tell them about the rest of her day, not skipping even the minutest detail.

* * *

Hermione snuggled deeper into her soft, familiar bed with a tired sigh. Their conversation had continued for a long time, and after her already long day of work, she was more than ready to drift off into dreamland. As her body relaxed and eyes grew heavy, she thought back to earlier.

While everything she'd felt was new and weird to her, it was apparently normal. All she had to was be herself and relax. Just try and remember that her boss was just human as well. Do what feels right and enjoy the experience. She was nervous about seeing him tomorrow, but now she felt a little better. After all, she had amazing friends at her side and ready and eager to give her their full support.

* * *

_**I am going back to college on Friday (junior year here I come!) and as a result will probably not be able to update as often as I would like. I will continue to write whenever I get time though, so please be patient with me :)  
Hopefully I will get to put another update up before then - we'll see. **_

_**Reviews make the pen flow faster... **_


	13. Chapter 13

_AN: I know this is stupid and against my own policies. It's been so long and none of you want to read through a note and most of you probably won't. But I decided to stay up later than I should to type and post this chapter for a very special reason. _

_This October will mark the fifth year anniversary of my Grandmother's death. Growing up I found one thing after another about myself I wished was different and secretly hated who I was. The one person in my life whose love I never, ever doubted was hers. It was impossible to feel anything but completely adored. She made me feel like I fit in in a world where I felt alien. Whether she realized it or not, as I grew older I depended on that to the point of calling after - school daily and telling her about my day – just because I knew that she always said she was proud and happy, even if I bombed a test. Thanks to her I became an honor roll student, and learned to respect myself. I never did tell her all of that though. I don't think I even told her I love her enough._

_I've been alright since then; there have been a handful of times that something significant would happen to make me miss her. Today my roommate called her grandmother to thank her for some money. Their conversation was normal, but what really struck me was hearing that her grandmother had wanted to visit when we were going to be away on break. For some reason that really struck me and I've been thinking about my own grandma all day. _

_I know it's not much, but it's all I have – so I'd like to dedicate this chapter to her as a way to say thank you and I love you and sometimes it hurts how much I miss you. And I promise that one day I'll have something really amazing and worthy to dedicate to your memory_

* * *

Bill woke with a start, gasping for air. He clawed blindly at the mass of weight crushing is chest when it lifted as quickly as it dropped. As his vision slowly cleared, he felt an odd sensation on the tip of his nose. The first thing he saw was clear, icy blue. As his adrenaline rush dissipated, his heart rate and breathing slowed until he was finally able to process the sight of his attacker.

"How'd you get in here?" He demanded his voice a bit more hoarse than husky as an after effect of the attack.

"Good morning to you too!" Ginny responded brightly. She dropped another kiss on his nose as she hovered over him, her knees on either side of his, her hands near his shoulders. Bill just shot her a blank look, knowing saying anything would just encourage her antics. She looked slightly put off by his lack of a response and, in undoubted revenge, let her arms go slack as she straightened her legs.

"Oofohohohohooo," Bill groaned as she yet again landed on his vulnerable belly, her dead weight compressing his sternum in a way that could only be described as cruel and unusual punishment. While he struggled to inhale, she was fully intent on her torturous task, so neither noticed when Harry walked in to see what was taking so long, saw the brother and sister in the all too provocative position, turned and left the room shaking his head and muttering about sibling complexes.

Finally Bill seemed to remember he was over three times Ginny's size and probably three-hundred times as strong. With sudden ease he flung her off his chest along with the covers. By some once-in-a-life-time chance Ginny became tangled in the covers mid-air while the covered remained tucked under the mattress leaving her suspended in the air just off the side of the bed, her gaping mouth and bug-eyes adding to the image of a Christmas Goose ready to be roasted over the spit.

"What's wrong?" harry was at the door again, summoned by Ginny's startled yelp. He stared at Ginny unwillingly defying gravity while Bill sat on his bed with a triumphant gleam in his eyes. Yet again he repeated the process from before anxiously contemplating the possibility that he might one day he might become a legal extension to this family.

"Harry," Bill's voice halted him just outside the room. He turned and watched as Bill shot him a questioning look and raised a brow eerily similar to the look Hermione had given him countless times in the past.

"Hermione sent me. She gave me the key and access info you gave her yesterday. She wanted me to check on you because she's stuck covering for you. Ginny invited herself," Harry was quick to answer all of Bill's questions without even having to be asked. Bill hoped he would one day influence Ginny to become the same way.

"Wait… covering for me?" Bill looked even more confused as he tried to figure out what exactly was going on.

"It's noon. She's been running around for the past six hours doing both your jobs so no one knows you're missing. Anytime someone tries to see you or get your signature she's been lying and saying you're booked up and can't be reached until tomorrow," Ginny's voice drew the men's attention to her entrapped form. "And here you are sleeping without a care in the world." Her icy blue eyes flashed dangerously as her tone became accusatory. Brother or not, no one was allowed to take advantage of her friend like that.

Moving faster than either Ginny or Harry thought possible, Bill leapt from his bed, clear over the foot of it and landed soft and easily as if he'd just hopped over a puddle after a rainstorm. His sudden moved dislodged the sheets and his feet touched the ground at the same time as she landed, rather loudly, in a heap on the floor. His eyes - normally blue, leaning just barely towards blue-green – were flashing and icy-blue so light and clear is was unnerving.

"She's what?" Bill's voice had dropped a few octaves and had a rough edge to it. He approached Harry as he spoke, his body moving impossibly smoother and more graceful than before. Harry found himself innately stepping back, only to be halted in his tracks when his back hit the wall. "Well?" Bill's voice grew only a bit louder as he reached halfway across the room. His obvious impatience only furthered Harry's mounting need to escape.

"You heard Gin," Harry finally responded. Suddenly remembering how upset Hermione had been he grew angry. Unconsciously, he straightened up and moved forward a few steps. "So stop taking your impotence out on me and go do your job. While you're at it, figure out how to make it up to 'Mione." Harry tossed the last bit authoritatively over his shoulder as he walked out.

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_Next chapter is almost completely written. I'll get it finished, typed and posted ASAP_

_**Reviews make the pen flow faster... **  
_


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

**Six and a Half Hours Earlier**

Hermione yawned and rubbed her eyes as she walked down the hall, unlocked the door to her office and bee-lined to the Kureg. Dumping everything on the couch in a heap, she quickly selected the strongest coffee she could find and set it to brew. Silently thanking the gods for the beauty of caffeine, she sluggishly stored her cloak and purse and began to get ready for the day.

An hour and a half, and three cups of coffee later, Hermione was knee-deep in busy work, pausing every few minutes to glance back at the still empty office behind her. The mounting prickle of instinct told her something was definitely wrong. Correspondence needing attention were already rolling in by the dozen, while there were undoubtedly numerous others awaiting responses from Bill and there were several meeting planned for the day. A sinking feeling grew deep in the pit of her stomach and a lump formed in her throat as panic slowly settled in. Her mind on overdrive, she didn't even register that her reaction was pure concern for her boss's well-being. Her second consisted for the best way to cover Bill's absence and check on him at the same time. Biting her lip as momentary blankness clouded her mind; she suddenly jumped up and darted into the office.

She fought back feelings of intrusion as she settled into the plush chair behind his desk. Her feet dangled in the air and her knees banged violently against the desk as she turned. Quickly she slipped off her plain, beige, low-heeled shoes and tucked her stocking covered feet beneath her bottom, vaguely becoming aware of how chilly they felt as the heat emanating from her from body contrasted sharply with them. Hesitating slightly, she ruffled through the parchments piled neatly on the desk. Quickly she put aside the ones ready for filing and to be sent out. She then separated to ones needing signatures, edits Bill had noted, and the ones that still needed to be reviewed.

It was only after she'd sent out her signature for her owl, knowing no one would think twice about official documents coming from her owl, that she noticed a figure in the doorway. She barely stifled a screech as she fell back and huddled against the back of the seat.

"Miss. Granger," the voice was devoid of warmth or humanness, emphasizing the danger of his tense body and glittering eyes.

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	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 14**

"Grimbles," Hermione's voice was breathy and several octaves higher than usual as she pressed her hands to her rapidly beating heart. The goblin's eyes glittered coldly as his lips parted in an inhuman mimicry of a smile, undoubtedly meant to display his sharp teeth.

"Looks like you're a bit lost Ms. Granger," Grimble's voice remained distant with just enough bite to send a nervous chill down Hermione's spine. Her stunned silence only seemed to further agitate him. "**Your **desk is the one out front, **remember**? I know you're new but it'd be best for you to commit that to memory; we wouldn't want to make a habit of this – though I'm sure that should be easy for a brilliant witch like you."

"Indeed," Hermione's response was dry as she shot the goblin a bland look; his thinly veiled insults and threats finally bringing her back to her senses. "Thank you for the insight. Now, if you don't mind, I've work to do and **you** haven't an appointment." Hermione smoothly slide her shoes on and stood in a single fluid move. She strode toward the door, her posture and the sharp look on her face clearly saying she didn't welcome his visit.

"I have a standing invitation with your boss," was the quick replay. Both remained frozen, neither wanting to be chased out by the other. Unfortunately for Hermione goblins are naturally suspicious creatures and Grimbles was extremely loyal – an unusual trait for his species – so he easily caught the barest flash of telling anxiety in her eyes. Fortunately, he was far less prejudice than other goblins and logically able to realize that the fact that she was openly shocked at being caught in Bill's office, but tried to hide her concern about someone demanding to see Bill meant that there was more to this than meets the eye.

"What happened, where is he?" Grimbles demanded gentle so as to not spook her into hiding the truth any further. Never-the-less, she was still hesitant, eyeing him suspiciously. He forced himself to remain patient as she evaluated the situation; it was obvious when she same to a decision when he watched her lips move as she silently told herself that he was obviously loyal enough to trust.

"I don't know where he is. I don't know what to do. I don't know if he's okay or how to do this so people don't find out he's missing," Hermione's voice grew higher and she spoke increasingly rapid as she finally confided in him, rushing it all into one breath.

"Bill's stronger than you give him credit for. Just because he's not here doesn't mean he's in trouble," Grimbles purposefully avoided using the word missing, wanting to calm Hermione first. Having traveling with Bill in far more dangerous situations and places than he would have preferred he knew Bill well enough to feel confident that the man wasn't in any immediate, life threatening danger. "Let's go through whatever parchments he has first. We can check them and do whatever needs to be done and sign what needs immediate attention as proxies – it will count as an acceptable intermediate response to keep things flowing and Bill will still have the ability to go back and go over them later and any documents that need editing will just be sent back with the noted revisions so it'll be one less step for him to worry about," Grimbles began to make a cup of coffee as he spoke and grabbed parchment, ink and a quill. Quickly, he drafted a letter telling his wife that there was an emergency and he probably wouldn't be home until after work the next morning. While he did, Hermione gathered all of the paperwork in her arms, conjured a Grimbles-size table and chair next to her desk and started dividing it between the two.

Within minutes they'd sent out the documents Hermione had sorted out earlier, and Grimbles' letter, and were settled in to reading through the remaining parchments, carefully reading them, and making whatever notations or signatures were needed, checking and double checking each other's and their own work.

Despite being the most capable employees in their department and working at a fast pace, it was several hours before they managed to reschedule the week's meetings and rearrange Bill's schedule to make up for the day, properly review the documents back-logged from yesterday and that morning and provide all the proper signatures and notations – done just right to be within legal limitations, go unquestioned in their validity by their recipients and the higher-ups of the bank **and** provide a loop-hole for Bill as a minimal consequence out for any mistakes they may have made.

It was nearly ten when they paused to stand and stretch. Hermione sipped on her third cup of freshly brewed coffee on the couch. She watched bemusedly as Grimbles began to fix his sixth cup, pouring enough creamer to turn the liquid a dark late color then taking the old-fashion-diner-like sugar canister over and letting a steady stream of sugar flow into his cup. Every so often he would turn it right side up to unclog the little hole and repeat the process.

_"Never would have though a Goblin would have such a big sweet tooth,"_ Hermione thought. She blanched when she realized that enough sugar had been added to the mug to raise the level of coffee several centimeters… and he was still pouring more in. _"I think I just became diabetic."_

Finally perceiving to have added enough sugar, Grimbles grabbed a spoon and began to stir the concoction; the thick layer of partially melted sugar was audible as he pushed it in circles. Hermione forced herself to not look at the abandoned sugar canister, knowing she definitely did **not** want to see its severely depleted level. She felt a border-line comedic awkwardness fill the air as she watched with fascination punctuated with moments of giddiness and struggles of keep her giggles at bay, until finally she could no longer her the scrape of sugar as the spoon stirred the drink.

Her eyes widened with morbid fascination as she watched Grimbles' boney hands, with their thin skin and easily discernible dark veins and raised ligaments reach out; his fingers, long and bone thin – save for the thick knot of his knuckles- wrapped around the mug, enclosing is carefully so as to not pierce each other with the long, translucent, naturally pointed nails that sat in their disproportionally large nail beds, which were invisible to her eyes save for the dirt and grim that lightly dusted the cuticles and hunkered down heavily deep beneath his nails. He drafted deeply from the mug, sighed and smiled eerily, his teeth looking more discolored than normal from the abundance of coffee. It wasn't until he sat in a chair across the room and started muttering to himself in a rapid mix of English and Goblin that Hermione noticed his too bright eyes and the way he all but vibrated in his oversized seat.

_"Great! Not only do I have a contact sugar-high from him, but he's running purely on adrenaline and a sugar-caffeine over-load,"_ Hermione eyes Grimbles. _"He's going to crash hard. We need help." _

Grimbles returned to his table and resumed his work either not noticing or not caring that Hermione remained rooted in her seat on the couch. The room's silence thickened and draped over them like a warm Afghan blanket – comfortable save for the slight itch felt when it rubs against one's skin. Hermione turned and sat back in the corner of the couch, leaning against the arm and back with her knees drawn up to her chest. Her right arm rested stretched across the arm of the couch, her wrist on the edge of the table and hand wrapped flat – fingers under the handle – around the body of the mug, despite its heat burning and stinging the delicate skin. Her left elbow rested on her knee as she lightly stroked and scratched her neck. Her hand traveled up, and a fingernail hooked over her front teeth. She didn't bite it, she'd at least cut **that** habit, instead she ran it over her tooth, the tooth scraping against the base of the underside of her nail.

Somewhere in the deep recesses of her mind, where the foggy conscious boarders the cloudy edge of sub-consciousness, she recognized the less than familiar taste of ink mixed with sweaty, dead skin and the other mysterious particles that take refuge beneath nails. The wispy thought was soon lost to that vast border-land, like so many before it, before the rest of her overworked, distracted mind even had a chance to notice its presence.

The problem wasn't the problem itself. After all the problem had a single simple solution. The problem was that the simple definitive solution posed another problem that was both entirely different and the root of all their problems in the first place it had a solution too, several in fact. But each solution was problematic in its own special way.

The simplest solution was, obviously, for Bill to come relieve Grimbles and, because he was certainly capable of doing his own job unaided, allow Hermione to focus on her own job. But therein lay the true problem at the root of all their other problems- the solution to their problems, remedying Bill's absence, was the very problem that led to the development of their current problems. The two most obvious options would be for her of Grimbles to go find him. But she didn't want to leave Grimbles alone to do all the work or have to field questions if someone walked into the office looking for her or Bill. And there was no way she could even **consider** allowing Grimbles to go in his condition. Asking his family to help would be just like ratting him out. That only left her boys. She crinkled her nose and considered her options, soon coming to the conclusion that Harry would be most capable of controlling his over-protective nature long enough to at least make sure the man was okay, and Bill was probably the least likely to castrate him for sneaking up on him, if for no other reason than to avoid having the favor returned by his sister.

Finally coming to a satisfying solution, Hermione stood and summoned her patronus. Unlike most, Grimbles was accustomed to seeing Bill perform extremely complex, difficult magic silently and wandless, so he felt only a moment of mild surprise at the display. He was much more surprised by and interested in Hermione's patronus, he never would have guessed it was an otter. He watched out of the corner of his eye as she bent and whispered to the wispy, silver animal. The otter was standing on it back legs, it one front paw resting lightly on her leg. She lightly ran her hand over the otter's head as she spoke; the otter leaned into her touch, obviously enjoying it.

_"Don't think I've ever seen such a close, loving relationship between a person and their patronus before,"_ Grimbles wracked his brain for an incidence of a human and patronus even interacting beyond the typical patronus use as he watched the small otter swiftly disappear from the room

"Where's it going?" Grimbles asked, quickly overcome with curiosity.

"She's going to Harry. We've made a charm so we can convey messages and ensure that only the intended recipient can get it. This way we can discreetly ask him to sip out and find Bill.

"Impressive Ms. Granger, very impressive."

* * *

**Hopefully this helps a bit to make up for the long absence and two shoty updates.**

******_Reviews make the pen flow faster..._**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Bill showered and dressed in record time, grateful to smell eggs and bacon cooking. He slid on his shoes and ran to the kitchen, his tie draped around his neck, to see Ginny and Harry together cooking what looked like the very promising makings of an egg and cheese sandwich, complete with a toasty croissant.

"I'm really sorry about this, I don't know why my alarm didn't go off," Bill sheepishly apologized for at least the third time since Harry half-jokingly ordered his to put some bloody clothes on and stop threatening Ginny's high opinion of his masculinity. The identical eye-rolls he'd received showed Bill had influenced his sister's sassy behavior just as much as he'd influenced the twins' playful personalities. _"Jack of all trades."_

"Don't worry about it, it was an accident," Harry muttered blandly, having said it so many times already. They'd moved on from their little macho moment pretty quickly… after Ginny yelled at them to grow up and stop glaring at each other – they were angry at the same person for the same reason anyway so get over it cause Hermione was waiting. "This kitchen's amazing by the way," Harry redirected the conversation with surprising skill.

"Of course it is, he's my brother," Ginny shot a teasing grin at Bill. "State of the art kitchens are a necessity for all Weasley men. Funny part is that Bill's the only one with **any** semblance of talent in cooking." She left Harry to put the finishing touches on the sandwich in order to help Bill who was struggling with his tie. How a grown man could still look like he was about to strangle himself while trying to tie the damn contraption she'd never know. With the quickness of hand that only came from years upon years of practice, she easily tied and straightened it and then straightened and fiddled with the rest of his suit. After pausing a moment to make sure she was completely satisfied she slid her arms around his waist and squeezed him gently, her head rested just a little too far up to nestle in the hollow of his chest. Affectionately, he hugged her back; he took a deep breath and felt some of the tension in his body melt away, just like is always did when he got to cuddle up to a loved one. Ginny smiled, both out of enjoyment and feeling her big brother relax a bit.

Harry watched silently as he subtly slipped a note in a bag along with the finished sandwich and a protein bar. He pretended to be oblivious, knowing Bill wouldn't be too happy with Harry playing witness to his carefully hidden weakness. _"Maybe I'll talk to Gin about getting him a pet… 'Mione's always telling people how beneficial they are."_ Harry grimace remembering how many times Hermione'd ended up nagging one of them when they'd all gotten together for their 'secret' dinners. _"On second thought, we definitely need to get 'Mione one. It's been years since she had Crookshanks…." _

After several more thank-yous, Bill grabbed all of his stuff, inhaled the sandwich and disappeared through the fireplace, his voice muffled by the last, rather large, bite of his meal.

"It's a miracle he doesn't get sent to some far off corner of the world with how often he does that," Ginny shook her head.

"Guess the floo-system speaks garble…" Harry paused and grinned at her. "Better known as Hungry Weasley Man."

Ginny rolled her eyes, but laughed despite herself. Harry chuckled alongside her as the quickly cleaned up the kitchen for Bill so he wouldn't have to worry about it that night.

* * *

Bill stepped through to his office, half expecting to see Hermione there tapping her foot and glaring daggers at him. Instead, he was met by a quiet office which, except for the now clean desk top, looked undisturbed.

Quickly he reached into the bag from Harry, felt around, and pulled out that note the younger man had tried to slip in unnoticed. Growing up babysitting Fred and George made it pretty much impossible for someone to slip one over on him. He scanned the note, occasionally giving it the barest of nods. Fortunately for him, Harry's protective nature was enough to compel him to clue Bill in on the best way to go about making up for his faux-pas.

_** Hermione will NOT want to be taken from her work. She'll want to focus in  
**__** and get the day's work done this afternoon, so don't bother trying to treat  
her to lunch or giving her any extensive apologies. She'll most likely just  
**__** not eat – she tends to forget when she gets into her work.**_

_** Take care of Grimbles first and quickly. Promise a full explanation later and  
get to work and leave her to hers. **_

_** Wait as long as it takes for her to grow weary and finally call it a day.  
It may not be until fairly late. Then pack her up and take her to eat. She loves  
sushi. Don't take no for an answer. If she lashes out at you, which she will for  
trying to boss her around – let her –YOU DESERVE IT. Push her to do it, or  
**__** she'll just bottle it up. Apologize and explain over food.**_

Bill grimaced – obviously Harry wanted to be clear that helping him make things up to Hermione didn't mean he was out of the dog house. Law of Association meant that alone kept him in Ginny's too, which basically meant his whole family would be some form of pissed or, in his mother and father's case, disappointed in him. Only thing worse – he was probably more pissed and disappointed with himself than his entire family combined.

* * *

Hermione interlocked her hands and raised her arms over her head, leaning back and arching her spine back to extend to stretch as far as she could. She winced with each painful pop as she attempted to realign it and relieve some of the tension in the muscles. Quickly she returned to the cringe-worth posture her body had been locked in for the better part of the day as she powered through her own and Bill's work, jumping intermitted from one to the other. Bill's was finished until the next day, but she and Grimbles were continuing so they could afford him as much of a head-start they could in case he was sick or had to go back and fix anything. Hers was nearly finished too, save for writing an advertisement for a housekeeper for Bill and sending it to all the local papers.

The forgotten door behind their desks suddenly flew open and bounced off the wall with a violent bang. The room's lone two occupants, shocked by the sudden break in their extensive silence, jumped in their seats. Grimbles gasped, caught mid-sip of his Merlin-only-knows-how-many cup of coffee, successfully causing the beverage to spurt out, primarily through his long, thin nose, while choking. At the same time, Hermione's hand jerked across the parchment, her wrist instinctively locking itself in just the right position to leave to quill tip barely millimeters from the parchment, which was spared an ugly black gash of ink. For a split second she was grateful her friends in school used to make a hobby of sneaking up on her, causing her to create the useful reflex. Next to her, Grimbles was recovering and staring contemplatively at his overly sweetened, and now slightly Goblin-booger flavored, beverage. The whole process took mere seconds, and in perfect unison they both whirled around to see Bill stride through the doorway, smooth and impressive as ever.

_ "Damn, over-did it!"_ Bill thought as he strode through. His thoughts didn't reflect through to his face, which remained passive as ever, further inspiring the confused looks of awe on his co-workers faces. "… Hey," He murmured after allowing the shocked silence to continue another moment. _"Merlin I suck,"_ he thought, processing what the others heard as nonchalance as incredibly lame sounding. He quickly thought back to Harry's note and was spurred into action. "I'm sorry about all of this, I can't thank either of you enough," his apology and gratitude audible in his voice as he moved towards Grimbles; it was obvious taking care of him came first and foremost regardless of Harry's instructions. He placed his hand on his friend's shoulder and performed a quick, rudimentary medical scan while distracting him with gently spoken pleasantries in Goblin. The caffeine and sugar were wreaking havoc on his little body – something neither common nor unusual for Goblins. Continuing to speak softly he carefully chose his words as he told Grimbles it was time to go home. His hand never left his shoulder as he lightly steered Grimbles away while he began to magically filter the caffeine and sugar from his blood, much like how a human liver filter's alcohol, which (if the lack of any argument was any indication), mixed with his sudden appearance, seemed to have the goblin still in a mild stupor. "Be right back," he promised Hermione over his shoulder and exited toward the fireplace nearly as quickly as he appeared from it.

* * *

Throughout their trip, Bill maintained constant physical contact with Grimbles, speeding up the filtration process knowing that the less sugar and caffeine there was left, the more uncomfortable the process would be for Grimbles. They stepped through to Grimbles' kitchen; Bill was forced to stoop under the low ceiling which, though luxuriously high to Goblins, was at least a good foot and a half lower than his own six-foot-three frame.

"Come on, let's get you in bed," Bill's large hand now rested in the middle of Grimbles' upper back, just below the base of his neck where he could slowly administer some pain relief to the headache that was undoubtedly forming while continuing the filtration. He began to walk forward, gently propelling Grimbles into the house.

"I don't think its… me whose… the one that you meant to… mean to say at," Grimbles voice was low and gravelly and his words more than just slightly slurred and nonsensical as he ran head-long into the proverbial wall and bounced off it when his blood reached just the right level of purity to experience that strange mixture of feeling the worst effects of being terribly hung-over and drunk at the same time, just as Bill anticipated. Over exhaustion did nothing to help, only increasing the pain, discomfort, lack of coherency and just plan crabby attitude.

"Really Grimbles, mind your manners. Bill was kind enough to bring you home – **try** and show some appreciation," a soft, high-pitched voice gently reprimanded Grimbles from the door.

"No, it's my fault this happened anyway," Bill quickly assured the pretty black dwarf by way of defending his friend. She smiled broadly at him, her straight, white teeth stood out against the dark red lipstick spread across her lush lips and her gorgeous, blemish free skin. There was no perfect way to describe her skin tone – it was neither light nor dark and paired with her big, dark eyes fringed with long lashes that kissed her high cheek bones with every blink, it was easy to see what made the model in such high demand. She had let her dark hair grow out naturally, and kept it just a tad on the long side, which she now held controlled with a headscarf whose beautiful traditional print matched the gorgeous one-strapped dress she wore. Altogether, she looked like nothing short of an African Goddess.

"Don't you worry yourself a moment Bill. Grimbles wrote me earlier," the gentle, chastising tone was now aimed at him. Mixed with the sweet smile she sent him, it left him feeling slightly abashed and thoroughly charmed. "Let's get him to bed; he'll be much less grumpy after he's slept."

Bill grinned as she turned and walked away, the possibility that either man wouldn't obey her obviously never once crossing her mind. Her constant stream of chatter about Bill's general well-being and general references to the current events of his life were filled with pride and affection and went unbroken, never once giving Bill a chance to respond. It was never hard to see why Grimbles had fallen so hard for her, and never seemed to bother to get back up. Good thing too – Bill didn't know what he would have done if his friend let someone so amazing get away from him.

Carefully, Bill half-steered Grimbles through the halls of the homely house, following the chatter and soft patter of footsteps ahead of them , having visited enough times to know the décor perfectly suited the couple and sentimental items were out, proudly on display. Once in the bedroom, Bill deposited his friend on the edge of the bed and was rewarded with a squeeze on the arm and thankful gleam in Grimbles' eyes.

"I'll leave him in your capable hands Rosenwyn," Bill knew a hasty retreat would be best so Grimbles could get to sleep and he could get back to Hermione. Rosenwyn followed him back the way they'd come, using seeing him out as an excuse to give Grimbles a chance to get settled into bed.

"Thank you for bringing him home," she smiled up at him as they neared the fireplace.

"I'm just so sorry to have caused so much trouble. I…" Rosenwyn rested her hand on his arm and cut him off.

"You don't need to apologize or explain yourself," she said firmly. "You're our best friend and you'd never treat us as anything less. There never been a doubt we could **always** count of you – just try and remember that it's a two way street."

Bill fought down the sudden rise of emotions. Grimbles and Rosenwyn hadn't had it easy throughout their lives, so for her to speak so openly of their friendship was more than just a reminder they were there for him. He bent, gently pecked her cheek and whispered, because he didn't trust his voice to speak any louder, "I'll arrange the next few nights off with pay… and overtime for today.

After a promise to visit them properly in the near future, Bill stepped into the fireplace. He was whisked away with the final sight of Rosenwyn shooting him a grin over her shoulder as she left the room, and the parting thought that his confrontation with Hermione was probably going to be **much** more difficult.

* * *

_**Reviews make the pen flow faster...**_


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Hermione blinked owlishly at the door Bill and Grimbles disappeared through just seconds ago. Her lips twitched and spread into a smile that quickly morphed into resounding giggles. A sudden, unladylike, snort escaped making her blush and clap a hand over her nose and mouth, her giggles now outright guffaws.

"Hope I'm not intruding…" a wry, mild voice from the other side of the desk made her jump ad whirl around in her seat… again. She continued to snicker at the intense sense of déjà vu.

"Of course not," Hermione stood and send the paperwork spread across her and Grimbles's desks whizzing into Bill's office to land in neatly stacked and organized piles. She charmed clean their coffee mugs and sent them back to where they belonged while vanishing Grimbles's desk and chair and fixing her own papers on her desk.

"I'd sell my soul for Ron to become that neat and efficient," Lavender sounded wistful, and the look she gave Hermione spoke volumes of the familiar issues they'd both experienced with the man's ineptitude with housework. "Maybe after he moves in he'll get better." Her voice sounded falsely hopeful and totally contrary to the bomb she'd dropped.

"Rather you than me," Hermione laughed again, somehow managing to control her surprise and Lavender's sudden announcement. "You sure cohabitating is a good idea? If you think it's bad now, just imagine if he never left," Hermione's warning was only half-joking, though she already knew the answer.

"Absolutely," Lavender was now serious, and quite emphatic. Hermione quickly sobered, sensing their conversation was about to take a turn for the serious. "We've been together for so long; we're long overdue to take the next step."

"_Long overdue, for more than just the next step,_" Hermione thought wryly as she smiled and nodded her agreement.

"I was actually thinking about asking him at dinner tonight," Lavender cast her eyes away from Hermione as she played with a tendril of her hair, effectively telling Hermione **exactly** why she was visiting so suddenly. "You know, that way we have the weekend to movie him into my flat… if he says yes I mean."

"Oh I'm sure he will," Hermione quickly assured her, already having anticipated in the indirect question.

"Yeah… I just… I don't know. I mean the subject would have come up. Don't you think he'd have mentioned it over the years…" Lavender looked beseechingly at Hermione, fear now evident in her eyes.

"You would think so wouldn't you," Hermione muttered; there was a certain red-head that needed to be reminded that his girlfriend wasn't supposed to be the only one moving their relationship forward – his brothers still never let him live down being pursued by her for their first date. "But," she quickly continued, seeing Lavender pale as panic set in. "This **is** Ron we're talking about. Chances are, he hasn't thought about things the same way we have. Or, is he has, he may have simply thought the same as you… neither of you have spoken about it so maybe the other wasn't interested." Lavender nodded, seeing the logic in what Hermione said.

"Yeah, you're probably right," she conceded. "That's why I always come to you. You know us both so well, and I know you'll always be honest and logical – not try and say what you know I want to hear," Lavender smiled softly. "I just love him so much," she trailed off, obviously at a loss for words. Hermione grinned at the love-struck woman, happy to see her so blissful.

"All these years later and you're still crazy for each other," she smiled broadly. "I'm just happy to be able to help. Anytime you feel panicky, some find me," she chuckled at the unintentional rhyme.

"So what's got you in such a perky mood?" Lavender finally asked the one thing she couldn't figure out since she'd walked into the office.

"Oh I don't know. I'm probably just overtired and all," Hermione shrugged. At Lavender's silent prompting, she gave a very brief recount of the day, more details left out than anything.

"Sounds like you had a… interesting first few days," Lavender was now grinning as well. She suspected Hermione's good mood had more to do with being impressed with a certain someone's grand entry than being tired – she'd heard one too many horror stories of what happened when Hermione was tired to believe that. Wisely though, she chose to keep her opinion to herself. "I'm a bit confused though, are you behind on your work or not?"

Hermione shook her head as she rolled and sealed a length of parchment Lavender hadn't even noticed her written on. "Not really." She silently called out to the owlery for what felt like the billionth time that day. She made a mental note to visit the owlery later that day to give treats to the three owls that's been flying so hard all day to make so many deliveries so quickly. "Bill's work is caught up and ahead by just over half a day so all he's left to do is check everything over and answer any new correspondences."

"And **your** work?" Lavender repeated her question, resisting the urge to roll her eyes at, what she at least felt where, Hermione's backward priorities.

"Almost done as well," Hermione held out her arm for a small brown owl to perch on. "Now that I have this housekeeper advertisement ready to send to the post, I just have paperwork to finish," she tied the scroll to the owl's ankle and sent it off.

"A housekeeper's a good idea. I know Ron's so used to depending on Molly doing everything that it's almost dangerous to allow him to do any house work," both women grinned remembering all too well some of the disaster zones left in Ron's aftermath.

"Poor Harry," Hermione referred to how eerily often Harry was the primary victim of Ron's far from natural disasters. Their grins turned to laughter at the poor man's expense, the mere memory of some of the incidences making their laughter grow.

"So will I see you before dinner tonight?" Lavender asked when they finally caught their breaths. She felt butterflies take flight in her stomach at the thought of her dinner plans.

"Probably not," Hermione cast her an apologetic smile. "I've got just over half a day's work left to complete and I want to get it all done since the next few days will be filled with housekeeper applications."

"Okay, just don't overdo it."

"I won't. You'll have to tell me how things go tomorrow – I'd wish you luck, but I'm sure you won't need it."

"Thanks 'Mione," Lavender hugged her and waved good-bye on her way out the door.

* * *

_**Ten Minutes Later**_

Lavender accepted the mug of coffee Ginny held out to her and sat next to Luna at the table. Ginny soon followed to sit across the table and placed a small plate of biscotti between them. The girls were silent as they each grabbed a biscotti, dunked it in their coffee and bit into it. They savored the taste, and then washed the bite down with a sip of coffee. They finished the few of the cookies on the platter in silence before Lavender finally told them about her visit.

Fifteen minutes later, the girls had been caught up and their coffee was finished, signaling the end of their meeting. Not five minutes later, each could be found with their respective boyfriend filling him in on all the details. Two minutes after that a werewolf and ex-con were caught up to date first by the founder of their little group, then by the only blond of the group. They spent the rest of the afternoon holed up at Grimmauld, knowing that as soon as one of them didn't have the other three keeping him in line anyone unfortunate enough to be more masculine in appearance and have even slightly red hair would have hell to pay.

* * *

_**I've got a couple more chapters written, but since I'm a feedback junkie I'm holding them hostage, and will only going to update every other week (the 11th in this case). Every five reviews I get I'll update a day sooner. Reviews that are really juicy will get the update even faster (maybe half a day for each REALLY juicy one). I know there's plenty of you out there - so if your update takes a long time don't blame me :p **_

_**Reviews make the pen flow faster... **_


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Bill stepped through to his office. He rubbed a hand over the back of his neck and took a deep, tired breath. Despite not having done a single productive thing all day he still felt weary. The muscles on his shoulders were uncomfortably tight and tense. He peeked through the cracked door to see Hermione deeply engrossed in her work. Moving silently, he returned to his desk and began leafing through the neat piles of parchments Hermione left him. He felt physically ill seeing so many of the parchments covered in hers and Grimbles's handwriting. The sinking feeling in escalated to gagging and dry heaving over the trash can. The physical reaction made his nose grow stuffy and eyes watery; he quickly remedied both with a few facial tissues and by taking slow, deep breaths.

Not many people realized how strong of a moral code he had – it may not always follow exactly what the law dictated as right and wrong, but he prided himself in never having purposefully hurt another being, more often than not he was willing to go more than the extra mile to protect even the most seemingly insignificant being. It was such a strong compulsion; he'd often grow physically ill if he didn't do what he felt was right. His government employers on many of his expeditions were often aggrieved by the 'habit', as they called it, when it slowed negotiations because Bill was so careful to honor the rights of other civilizations when approaching for permission to excavate on their land. Never the less, it was part of what earned him such a stellar reputation and helped him get where he was today, something one of his muggleborn bosses openly admitted to him the day he resigned his position. For some reason the man had taken a liking to calling him Horton, stranger still, the man had an unnerving tendency to break out into laughter every time someone questioned "who?" after he used the nickname.

Bill was yanked from him reverie by another gagging fit. This was undoubtedly the worst thing he'd ever done. It didn't matter that it was an accident. What mattered was that he'd let it happen and ultimately took advantage of his friend and colleagues whom were both obviously overqualified for their work and extremely loyal. He had much more trouble controlling this fit as he glanced at the parchments on his desk and realized that the two hadn't just covered for him like any decent employee would have. They'd actually done a day and a half worth of work for him and every bit of it was nearly to the same caliber of work he'd have performed. Hermione'd even left him little notes on strips of parchments, on both hers and Grimbles's work, about her thoughts, concerns or explanations about why they did something the way they did and stuck them to the parchment next to whatever she was referencing in the same manner one would use a post-it note.

He clasped a hand over his mouth and nose and fought of the feelings of anxiety. He took deep, slow breaths, in through nose and out through his mouth, until he regained a bit more control. He rested his elbows on his desk and dropped his head into his hands. He craned his neck slowly, rubbing his head from front to back against his hands, letting his fingers comb through his hair. He repeated the process several times over, scraping his blunt nails over his scalp.

He had to do something to repay them. The hard part was finding a way to do it without raising their suspicions. They were both stubborn people who'd undoubtedly refused anything he could offer if they suspected an ulterior motive. If anything, they were most likely would feel more insulted than anything if that were to happen. No, he'd have to bid his time and subtly stick when the perfect opportunity arose.

* * *

Hermione anchored her feet beneath the feet of her chair, locked his hips into place and twisted to the side, using the back of the chair for leverage. Several loud, deep cracks filled the room. She did the same to the other side, producing a few more, softer cracks.

She glanced at her wristwatch and grimaced. It was nearly seven; Lavender and Ron were probably just ordering their dinners right about now. She was sure she'd be helping them move in together bright and early tomorrow. Then she'd set the oblivious Ginger straight on how to wear the pants in the relationship.

She grimaced again, this time in guilt. This was the second night in a row that Molly undoubtedly included something special on the dinner menu just for her, most likely excited to see her eat it while hearing all about work. And she'd let her down both times. At least this time she was sure Harry or Ginny thought to tell the matriarch she'd be working late sometime in the early afternoon so she didn't go through the trouble of making anything special.

* * *

Bill watched as Hermione straightened in her seat and suddenly crack her back, making him wince despite having seen her do it so many times already he'd lost count. He'd fully opened the door soon after he arrived and now it was… he glanced at the clock, just after seven, and she'd never noticed.

He'd finished reviewing the day's paperwork a few hours ago and written a lengthy letter to Charlie. The dragon enthusiast would probably think he's gone insane when she sees the twenty page letter outlining every remote aspect of his life since his last one two and a half weeks ago, all written in painstakingly beautiful calligraphy. Now he was working on the beginning stages of a picture of their Great Aunt Girt sitting on a troll with its eyes bugged out. He only had a basic outline done, taking extra care on the shaping of the incredibly large and mean woman.

Hermione has been stopping to stretch more frequently; he imagined it would only be a matter of time before it was time for him to step in.

* * *

Bill regarded the finished sketch with a critical eye. Satisfied with the results, he casted a simple charm to animate it. He chuckled lightly at the comedic scene and placed it with the rest of his letter to bring home and mail tomorrow.

_"Bloody hell,"_ he stared at the clock in disbelief. He'd been so enthralled in his drawing he hadn't even noticed the hour and a half fly by. He looked over at Hermione to see her sitting, squirming in her seat. He watched silently as she spent less time working and more time twirling a lock of hair that'd escaped from her bun around her finger, her shoulders slumped and mind undoubtedly miles from work.

Time to face the proverbial dragon.

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_**Reviews make the pen flow faster...***_

*****see note in chapter 17


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

Hermione's eye burned slightly, making her regret not buying artificial teardrops last time she visited her parents. She should have anticipated that working all day reading and writing would have made her eyes dry. It wasn't painful, thankfully, but scratchy enough to be irritating and make her eyes droopy and feel tired.

She shifted in her seat, only vaguely aware of how often she'd been doing it. She was in denial about the dull ache and intermittent sharp flashes of pain from muscular spasms in her back. She knew she'd probably done some damage on the run and during the war, but there was always something more important to do than go to the doctor and get it fixed.

A blob of ink fell from the sleek black quill grasped in her fingers. It splattered and quickly bled to the surrounding parchment, leaving an ugly black blob covering half the document. _"Bloody fucking hell," _she glared at the blot. Her glare intensified when another blob of ink fell. _"Stupid fucking ink falling all over the damned place,"_ she fought to push away her irritation as she vanquished the ink from the parchment and tip of the quill. It pulsed in her veins as she set about filling the document all over again from the beginning. She began to write and winced when the quill scratched over the parchment with a loud squeak.

"Shit!" She'd forgotten to dip it in the inkwell. With far more force than necessary, she jabbed the quill into the inkwell, scratching the tip against the bottom, splitting it and splashing ink on the desk and her fingers. Oblivious to the ensuing destruction, she began to write again. Ink flooded from the pen soaking through the and onto her desk.

"Damn it!" She snapped. "Stupid fucking quill! Damned wizards living in the bloody dark ages," she threw the quill over her desk and incinerated it mid-air. She shuffled through her desk, slamming the drawers. "That the hell, there should be a pen in here."

Unseen behind her, Bill stood in the doorway, looking for all the world as though he'd never heard a woman cuss before. Naturally that was far from the truth, but he'd never heard Hermione curse before. Despite knowing how risky of behavior she'd performed, he could never really get past the goody-two-shoes first impression he always had of her. It made her performance somewhat unsettling, yet rather amusing as well.

"Everything okay," He asked almost rhetorically, now at her side. He realized he startled her more than he intended when she jumped and hissed "Shit!" A sheepish smile spread across his lips and he was just about to apologize when she turned and leveled him with a glare.

"Make some noise would you," she snapped. "I though you went home."

Bill shook his head, "I've been here since the afternoon finishing up everything so I'd be ready from Monday." He paused, hoping the subtle hint would work. Hermione didn't respond, opting instead to go back to work on the document with another quill. "It's getting late…" he trailed off trying again.

"So you're heading out then?" Hermione spoke off-handedly, mostly to prompt him along so he'd leave her alone. Bill crossed his arms, growing annoyed with her rude behavior.

"You're half right," his voice suddenly dropped dangerously and his eyes grew hard. His aggravation grew when she didn't when she didn't answer. The witch was tap dancing on thin ice.

"Uh huh," Hermione obviously wasn't paying attention. Bill clenched his jaw tightly; a muscle in his jaw twitched as he fought back the less than gentlemanly remark on the tip of his tongue. "Well what're you waiting for?" Hermione glanced at him for half a second before returning to the parchment. Bill could see the annoyance on her face in that glance. Unfortunately, her glance was quick and mindless, so she didn't see the dangerous look in his face. If she had, she undoubtedly would have backed off and away from the man. Instead, she topped off her dismissal with a flippant wave of her hand, eyes glued to her writing.

Bill's already short fuse spontaneously combusted. He was upon her within an instant, yanking her out of her chair by the hand that hadn't yet finished its wave. Shocked, Hermione's responding gasp hadn't escaped her lips until after she landed fully against his toned and obviously tense chest. She was still in the process of completing said gasp when he stooped and rammed his shoulder into her stomach with enough force to knock the wind from her lungs, stunning her as he stood with her prone body draped rather ungracefully over his shoulder.

Instinctively she began to struggle against him, pounding against his lower back and kicking her legs. Despite her best efforts she was no match for his strength. The fact that he held easily her down with just one arm was intimidating at the very least. When he swiftly captured her legs and hold them down while tightening his grip on her she began to panic and felt a scream rise to her lips. It was a silent scream. He'd casted a silencing charm on her. That panic grew when she realized he'd cast a stunning charm on her as well.

Bill took some satisfaction at her panic. He refused to be treated like a dog. Everyone had their limits and his had just been pushed to the extreme. Not once breaking his silence, knowing he'd only say something he later would regret, he magically closed down the office. The stun charm had done its job, but he could feel her body remain tense, ready to fight at a moment's notice. He stalked back into his office, shutting the door behind him with a definitive click.

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_***Reviews make the pen flow faster...**_


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Lavender stepped through the door into her foyer, pushed the door to swing shut, placed her keys on a small hook on the wall and stood frozen in place. Her mind was impossibly blank, which was reflected on her wide, unblinking stare into oblivion. Somewhere in the depths of her mind that thought that it was a good three hours until her date occurred. Paradoxically, her mind both did and did not process the fact. Though it felt like eternity, it was just a few seconds later a truly full and coherent thought skittered across her mind like tumbleweed in a ghost town. _"I must look __**perfect**__ tonight!"_ It was enough to finally spur her into action.

She made her way further into the apartment, removing her plain, low heels as she walked/ she padded past the kitchen, through the comfortably homey den and down a small hall with pictures hanging from the walls. She passed the linen closet, the bathroom, the guest bedroom and finally, further down at the very end of the hall, entered the master bedroom.

At the wall to the right of where she entered, she slid open the door to her closet. It was a walk-in closet, but a modest one; she kept it very neat and organized to allow a much more efficient use of the space. She placed the shoes back on the little rack on the floor and began to strip off her business suit. Without fully meaning to, she restrained her gaze to the one side of the closet as she hung up her skirt, blouse, and jacket. If someone where to call her out on it she would deny it whole-heartedly. But you didn't have to be the next Freud to see that she was avoiding looking at the newly emptied space out of pure fear she'd be refilling that space in the morning with her own belongings.

Determinedly keeping her mind off it, she slid off her pantyhose and stowed them away leaving her in her turquoise thong and turquoise and black lace bra. A single hand reached up and deftly released her dirty blonde hair from its sleek French twist. It cascaded down to rest just below her bra strap. That same hand slid behind her back, unhooked the bra and slid it off to stow away as well. While her nipples hardened in response to the sudden exposure to cool air she slid the panties down her long, shapely legs and tossed them into the dirty laundry hamper stowed unobtrusively in the corner near the door.

Having learned to be comfortable in her bare skin, she unhurriedly stepped out of the closet, sliding the door shut behind her and padded to the other side of the room to open a door leading to a spacious bathroom. It was entirely white except for the stainless steel hardware. She ignored the large Jacuzzi tub elevated up several steps in the corner, and instead slid through a slit in the wall and followed the short circular path into a small shower. She hit a switch causing the water to turn on and fall from the shower head embedded in the ceiling. Lights were inset in the wall and, paired with the steam from the hot water, created a very ethereal scene.

She washed and conditioned her hair with the shampoo that always made Ron sneak not so subtle sniffs of her hair. Using an exfoliating puff, she scrubbed head to toe with the body wash Hermione got her from s muggle store called Bath and Body Works. For some reason it was called Black Amethyst; she could never figure out what the name had to do with the spicy scent, but she always reserved it for those special occasions she wanted to feel extra sexy. Then she grabbed her razor and shaved her underarms, calves, thighs and finally vagina, taking care to use more than enough of her moisturizing shaving cream to avoid nicks while ensuring she got every single hair. When she was satisfied her skin was bare, smooth and razor burn free she rinsed off and shut the water off. She quickly combed her hair and wrapped it in a towel. Using a smaller hand towel, she patted dry her skin, slipped on a fluffy robe and exited back into her bedroom.

Rubbing the towel over her head to dry it, she approached the dresser on the opposite side of the room from her bed and pulled out a black silk thing and matching strapless bra. She tossed them over her shoulder onto her bed and levitated the towel back to the bathroom to hang to dry. Glancing around, her eyes finally fell on the new bottle of deep moisturizing lotion on her nightstand. Quickly, she grabbed it and rubbed a liberal amount into her skin, careful to not miss a single spot. It had a little illuminator in it that appeared shimmery and made her skin glow. She used a simple charm to finish drying her hair so it fell in loose waves. It only took a few minutes to apply a small amount of makeup, just enough for a fancy dinner date. She quickly slipped on her undergarments and slid into a strapless, sweetheart cut black dress. It hugged her curves enough to be sensual without being skanky. Similarly, it fell about mid-thigh, just low enough she could bend and sit without having to worry about giving everyone an eyeful. She slid in a small pair of diamond stud earrings, a necklace of three diamonds progressively slightly larger down in a vertical line, both gifts from her parents, and a simple sterling silver bracelet Ron had given her on their last anniversary.

A glance in the large mirror hanging over her dresser assured her that she looked good. She spritzed on some perfume Hermione also gave her scented the same as her body wash. Strategically, she focused on using just a little on her neck, cleavage and behind her knees. As she placed the bottle back, she shot her reflection a naughty smirk. She knew from past experience that Ron was rather partial to the scents as well, especially when he realized she only used them for special occasions. To complete the look she slipped into high, black, pep-toed pumps that showed her perfectly manicured toes, whose maroon shade matched her nails.

With a powerful stride, she entered the den to grab her vibrant red clutch, a perfect match to her lipstick, and checked that she had everything she needed. Then, with a sigh, she sat heavily on the couch to pretend to read a book while she waited for Ron to arrive in an hour.

* * *

Ron did a quick check before leaving his room. Carefully combed hair and black suit with spotless while shirt and blue tie that supposedly matches his eyes… check. Neatly shaven, light layer of cologne, fresh breath and mints? Check, check, check, and… check.

Satisfied he was prepared; he quickly walked outside and apparated to Lavender's apartment complex. His knock was music to Lavender's ears; she moved impossibly fast in her heels to answer the door. She threw it open enthusiastically, startling Ron.

Ron blinked and stared in amazement at Lavender. She always seemed beautiful to him, but tonight she was absolutely stunning. He couldn't decide if he wanted to grab her and make love all night or take her out and show her off to the world and make her smile that beautiful smile more. Unable to make up her mind, he decided to do both. Needing to satiate his desire until after dinner, he cupped her cheek lightly and kissed her slowly and gently.

Lavender's hand rested against his chest as she let the gentle kiss sweep her away. When he finally pulled back, she bit back a disappointed whine. He dropped a light kiss on her forehead making her heart flutter with love.

"Ready?" His voice was slightly husky. Lavender gazed into his eyes and nodded yes. Hands entwined, they paused only long enough for her to lock the door before making their way out to apparate to the restaurant.

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	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

Hermione had this paradoxical love, hate relationship with physical contact. There were only a few people she was comfortable enough with to allow intimate contact with, and even then it was only under certain circumstances. So being bodily thrown over Bill's shoulder like a sack of potatoes and carried off to who knows where was a far from welcome experience. She was positively seething and the fact that she still somehow managed to be impressed with his strength while spending more than just a little too much time observing the fluid movements of his muscular back and bottom only served to further ignite her fury. That agitation only grew when she was forced to endure a trip through the floo network leaving her covered in soot and coughing from the smoke she'd inhaled thanks to the lack of warning. She was still recovering when she was dropped, surprisingly gently, into a chair and released from her binding charms. Eyes locked on her target, she lunged out of her chair, the vulgar curses spewing from her mouth thankfully silent due to the still present silencing charm.

* * *

Bill shook his head silently grumbling to himself as his temper slowly cooled. As he cooled off he began to regret having lost his temper in the first place making him even more irritable. He stepped through the green flames, his stride unbroken as he crossed the room and dropped the infuriating witch in the stiffest armchair in the room. He'd only barely released the charms physically binding her when she suddenly lunged at him. A grunt was torn from his chest as she planted her shoulder in his midriff as she barreled forward, leaving him winded and quickly falling back to the floor. Refusing to consider the possibility of facing defeat to such a small, little thing, he grabbed her upper arms and pulled her down with him.

* * *

Hermione's initial reaction was to tackle Bill the same way she'd seen players do in American Football games on the television. She hadn't taken into account how much bigger than her those men, and even Bill, were but thankfully caught him far enough off guard to still render her desired result. She let out a silent yell of triumph when he began to topple back; that yell barely had enough time to morph into a startled gasp at the realization that he was taking her down too before they hit the ground, hard.

Reflexively Hermione's hands had grasped Bill's shirt in her balled up fists, her eyes squeezed shut and body tense in anticipation of impact. Instead of the hard hit she expected she was only mildly jolted. Her adrenaline still pumping, she registered the sound of a pained grunt at the moment of impact. Only half a second later she realized that the grunt had come from below her and that her face was buried in Bill's muscular and surprisingly comfortable chest. At the same time she became aware of the rather tantalizing scent coming from said chest and that there was two arms wrapped quite firmly around her lower torso, the corresponding large hands grasped her hips from behind on the opposite side in a strong grip.

His body positively radiated heat and mixed with the impossibly, indescribably amazing feeling of being held flush against him, trapped in his arms made her flush deeply and her entire body grow feverish. Only seconds later she was flat on her back staring up into cold blue eyes framed by a furious expression aimed at her.

* * *

Natural instinct made Bill grab Hermione so tightly as the fell and subjected his back to the hard impact so as to protect her from it as well. Unlike Hermione, time didn't move in slow motion for him. He quickly shook off the shock from the fall and rolled over as he did a sort of push-up, effectively leaving him hovering over her. His legs were spread with his knees a few inches from the sides of her legs. His hands were planted firmly several inches from her shoulders. He was breathing heavily with ill-controlled anger, glaring down at her as he watched her recover and stare up at him with a still mildly shocked expression.

"Enough," he snapped, finally breaking his silence, "if you'd stop acting like an insolent child for just…" He was cut off when a knee rammed itself hard into his backend, barely missing his manhood but forceful enough to jolt it uncomfortably. A punch to the face soon followed. It was powerful enough that he was certain to have a nasty bruise later, but the close quarters were thankfully too constricting for any real damage to have been done.

* * *

Hermione had been caught off guard with how fast paced everything had occurred and the borderline intimate position she found herself in. But that quickly faded when Bill began to yell and insult her. Her initial anger came flooding back and she threw all of her strength into kneeing, then punching, him in rapid succession. With him now thrown off balance she threw a rapid fire of punches at him. Triumphant satisfaction gleamed in her eyes when Bill was forced to lean back on his knees. The adrenaline rush and her inexperience in fighting left her oblivious to the fact the despite his retreat, not a single one of her punches landed their mark; each was skillfully blocked or deflected all together.

* * *

Bill carefully guarded himself against her punches. He could tell she wasn't used to non-magical fights so he simply bedded his time, lulling her into a sense of security while tiring her out. As he predicted, it didn't take long before the hits began to slow and lose power rapidly. By now he was on his knees sitting back on his feet while she was on her knees leaning forward to make up for her short arm span. Still, he waited for the perfect opening.

Moments later that opening appeared when he deflected a punch and she didn't draw her arm back quick enough. Quickly he struck, grabbing the extended fist and tugging it to him, then pushing back while pulling lightly on her shoulder. He averted his eyes from her face, not wanting to see the reflection of pain he was causing, no matter how mild it may be. When she was inches from crashing into him, he twisted their bodies so her left side continued to be pulled toward his right; at the same time he lifted himself onto his left knee. Seconds later their sides collided and he used her momentum to turn her while propelling her over his bent left knee.

He quickly followed her, this time not concerning himself with the impending collision. Still he cringed internally when her head hit the carpeted floor none too gently; knowing better than to let that distract him, he quickly grabbed her hands, intertwined their fingers, and pinned them straight up high above her head. His knees rested spread far to either side of her thighs, slightly higher than parallel to her own knees and his legs were bent so his feet were tucked over and between her legs effectively cutting off her ability to bend or lift them. The strand hold left his chest and face a foot above her own while his hips barely hovered over hers, brushing every time he exhaled.

* * *

Hermione felt the first flashes of panic when she realized how completely trapped she was, this time with no prospects for escaping. Suddenly truly frightened she began to struggle against Bill while throwing every wandless, silent charm and curse at him humanly possible. It took several moments for her to realize that not only was he completely unaffected by her efforts, but she was growing exhausted both physically and, strangely, magically. She stilled, and experimentally lashed out physically and with a curse at the same time. Now that she was paying attention she could feel the energy, strength and magic being pulled from her body everywhere it made contact with Bill's. Her eyes widened with renewed fear, knowing he's somehow invented a way to do the impossible and created a spell that could lead to nothing but a never before seen level of magical warfare should he ever develop a large, long-distance form and share it.

His icy eyes were void of emotion as he watched understanding slowly seep into her eyes, dulling the adrenaline induced shine from them until all that was reflected with weary fear. "Finished," he asked almost rhetorically, in no rush to relieve her obvious sense of dread. Her throat rippled, perhaps with a silent whimper, as she slightly, only barely nodded yes.

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	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

"Now you're going to be good and listen to me aren't you," Bill's voice was deceptively mild, a stark contrast to the rest of his demeanor. He didn't bother waiting for a response before continuing, "Now I'm going to release your silencing charm, and you're not going to utter a single peep." He did so, well aware it sounded like he was talking to an errant dog. There was a spark of fire in her eyes that told him she noticed it too, despite how quickly she quelled it. "Now I'm going to let you go and you're going to sit up, and do **nothing** else." Again she wordlessly obliged.

"**Very** good, good girl," he once again gave her a taste of her own medicine, determined to drive home his point. He skillfully pushed away all feelings when he saw her flinch as he reached up a hand to rest atop her head. He watched shock register clearly on her face on everything he'd just drained from her slowly leaked back into her. His orders were briefly disregarded when she gasped when he didn't withdraw his hand after returning it all. Instead he gently and quickly healed her little bumps and bruises.

"I'm not a monster Hermione," he felt compelled to murmur. "Now," his upbeat tone finally matched his lightened demeanor, "I'm going to make us some dinner." He reached out a hand, which she hesitantly accepted, and helped her up. "Just consider it part one of my apology." He walked away toward the kitchen, waving for her to follow over his shoulder. Slightly confused, Hermione followed him into the gorgeous kitchen. He pulled out one of the high rise chairs at the marble top island and gestured for her to sit. Using a combination of wizard and muggle tactics, he began to prepare simple chicken parmigna with fresh Italian bread and two small Caesar salads. Hermione sat pertly, her ankles crossed to the side and hand resting in her lap in the perfect picture of propriety. She was only mildly surprised to see his cooking ability easily rivaled his sister's, far surpassing the remainder of the male Weasleys. It was almost hypnotizing to watch; he was obviously confident in the kitchen, in more than an eating capacity, and it showed.

"Wine?" He held up a bottle of red wine.

"No, thank you," Hermione finally broke her silence. She tended to react badly to red wines, usually in the form of flushed complexion or, in worse cases droning headaches. Bill replaced the wine and poured two ice cold glasses of water instead. At the same time, he levitated a knife and lemon from the refrigerator, and sliced two wedges to add to the glasses.

"Chicken will be done in about fifteen," he placed one of the glasses in front of her. He noticeably hesitated before sitting. Fortunately her chair was near the edge of the island, so he quickly slid the chair across from her to the side so they were adjacent to each other. Then the background charms send the dishes off to clean themselves while the counters were cleaned as well.

"What time is it?" She suddenly became aware of how long the day had been.

"Around nine-thirty," Bill estimated with a small shrug.

"Oh," Hermione responded noncommittally, her thoughts having turned to how early she should get up the next morning to see Lavender.

"Hermione," Bill's voice and the way her was looking at her subtly hinted that it wasn't the first time he'd called her.

"Huh," her initial response was less than eloquent with her distraction, "sorry, you were saying?"

Bill unconsciously frowned – though he wasn't sure if it was her lack of attention or just that something was stealing her attention from **him** that irked him, and he was pretty sure he didn't want to find out.

"That's what I was going to say," Bill actually visibly grimaced as though in pain as he mentally bashed his head violently against the wall. _"Smooth,"_ the internal, eternally sarcastic voice sounded precisely like Charlie. "I mean," he quickly amended, his voice a little louder and higher than normal, "the sorry."

Hermione stared at him, clearly confused and quite possibly wondering about his sanity. Frazzled, he ran a hand through his hair with more force than intended, successfully snagging his fingers in the tangles created mere seconds before his hair tie broke, snapping it them and his neck. "Ouch, bloody hell!"

"You okay?" Hermione asked, though clearly confused and concerned about his strange behavior.

"Fine," he glared at the offending band on the floor. "What I'm trying to say… **been** trying to say is that I'm sorry. For being late and… manhandling you."

I don't know why my alarm didn't go off this morning but it was absolutely unacceptable and I promise it'll **never** happen again. And I can never thank you or Grimbles enough for covering for me and all the work you two did was amazing and beyond anything I could every ask for. I owe you so much; anytime you need **anything** just say the word."

"Bill," Hermione tried to interject but Bill wouldn't let her.

"And it was so far beyond the line for me to have acted like I did just before, it's…" he hesitated, unable to find a suitable word. "I lost my temper, and I almost never do. I was actually trying to treat you to dinner, but acting like a cave man tends to ruin that kind of stuff…"

"Bill," Hermione finally succeeded in halting his rambling apology, "it's alright, I get your point. **Both** of them; and, I apologize for my behavior before we left." She alluded to his pointed mimicry of her earlier behavior, tactfully avoiding reference to their means of exit. Her subtle lack of forgiveness didn't go unnoticed. Though not at all unreasonable, Bill was beginning to wonder if he'd ever find a suitable way to apologize **and** say thank you to her.

"Yes, well I suppose it can be understood. You did have a long day after all," he graciously excused her, suddenly remembering Harry's note. Part of him chastised himself for not listening to the younger man. The other part of him said he'd been set up for sure.

"Yes," Hermione answered simply, knowing there was a difference between being tactful and honest. "Perhaps if I'd known your intentions…" She felt only slightly bad seeing Bill grimaced guiltily preferring to ensure that he understood the importance of communicating.

They were saved from continuing the line of conversation when Bill stood to serve the finished meal. It smelled heavenly and, though simple, the presentation made it look all the more delectable. Silence once again prevailed as they hungrily dug in, too preoccupied with the food to feel awkward by the lack of conversation. It wasn't until they were halfway through the meal that Bill once again spoke first.

"Perhaps tomorrow I could treat you to lunch," he nervously prosed, "as a proper thank you. We could get sushi."

His voice became wheedling in the end as he revealed the ace up his sleeve. It wasn't until Hermione raised her brows questioningly that he realized his mistake of revealing his known trivia. "Ginny's mentioned you like it," he covered a little too slow to be casual and a little too hastily to sound real.

"Thank you, but I'll be busy with Lavender all day tomorrow," Hermione was grateful for the excuse. "as a matter of fact, I should get going." They'd just finished their meals and Hermione quickly latched onto the excuse to eat and run. If Bill found the attempt lacking he didn't let on as he graciously set the dishes to be cleaned while escorting her back to the fireplace. Hermione barely waited long enough to wish one another a good evening before hurrying through the floo back to the safety of the Burrow.


	23. Chapter 23

_**AN: Sorry for the long hiatus... my computer hates me :( To make up for it I'll be posting two chapters today**_

* * *

**Chapter 23**

Harry stretched his legs out over the length of the couch and crossed them at the ankles. He settled back against a pillow and turned the page of the mystery book Hermione'd recommended. It was amazingly enthralling, which was perfect to help him stay awake until she got home **and** it gave him a semi-believable alibi too. The others had long since gone to bed, and usually he and Ginny would take full advantage of Ron's absence, but it was obvious from his lack of response to Ginny's seduction attempts that tonight wouldn't be one of those nights. Not for the first time, he was grateful to call such an understanding woman his.

He commended himself on his acting skills when he didn't react to the flash of green flames in the fireplace and pretended not to notice when Hermione stepped through. Still frazzled, Hermione straightened out her clothes, failing to notice the figure on the couch. Knowing he'd appear most innocent his he seemed surprised to see her, Harry turned the page, making a show of it to make a small noise. Hermione immediately reacted, jumping and gasping softly. In response Harry jumped dramatically with an exaggerated grunt of surprise.

""Mione?" Someone should just hand him an Oscar now.

"Harry," Hermione's voice was high and strained.

"Sorry, guess we surprised each other," Harry grinned and sat up, misconstruing why she was acting so funny.

"Yeah, I wasn't expecting you to be down here," she admitted. "Ron's not staying at Lavender's?" She suddenly grew worried, ready to turn and step back through the floo to Lavender's flat.

"No he is," Harry quickly reassured her, "Ginny just wasn't feeling good." He was in too deep to feel guilty over yet another lie. The look of concern didn't leave her face making him mentally smack his forehead. "Just fatigue from a long day, so I came down here so she could go to sleep early."

"Oh," Hermione relaxed and smiled. "Well I can still sleep in your bed tonight if you want."

"Thanks," Harry nodded, never one to pass up time with his girl, even if they were asleep. "You probably want to get to bed – it's been a long day."

"Yeah," Hermione turned to leave and stopped short.

_"Uh oh,"_ Harry suddenly sensed danger as she slowly turned and stalked toward him.

"What did you say?" She asked, making him nervous.

"It's been a long day," his answer sounded more like a question as he realized his mistake. _"Food… you always shove food at her when she gets home late. Bloody idiot!"_ He could have bashed his head against the wall.

"Harry," her voice was dangerously low and calm.

"… Yes Hermione?" If anyone could see him now they'd never let him live down being so thoroughly cowed by his much smaller best friend. It only took the characteristic arch of her brow for him to crack and confess not only what he'd done but the entire events of his and Ginny's retrieval mission. By the end Hermione was shaking her head, but he was pretty sure it wasn't at the siblings' antics. "'Mione what's wrong?"

Hermione stiffened, _"damn it, he can never just let me be can he?"_ Harry reached out and pulled her to sit next to him on the couch. He held her hands in a grip tight enough to tell her she wasn't going anywhere until she told him. "This is just between us… only the two of us, okay?" Harry nodded, immediately on high alert; it was almost unheard of for her to tell one of the guys something and forbid the others from knowing. She quickly told him what happened; speaking so low and fast Harry had to concentrate to understand. That, paired with the death grip she held on his hands, were the only things from keeping him from leaping up and killing the eldest Weasley.

"Please don't Harry," Hermione's plea broke through the angry haze.

"Don't what 'Mione," he ground out, carefully controlling his temper. Something the Weasley men seemed in desperate need of practice in.

"I know what you're thinking Harry. Starting a fight with Bill would do nothing but cause trouble for all of us. It wasn't meant to be malicious… he didn't know…"

"I know," He growled, thankfully cutting her off from having to finish her sentence. "I promise I won't start a fight."

"Thank you," she gratefully kissed his hands, still grasped between hers. Harry just sighed and nodded, obviously still miffed. They sat together in silence for a few more minutes before he stood, pulling her with him up the stairs. Outside the room he usually shared with Ron he stopped and gave her a light kiss on the forehead before turning and entering the room she and Ginny usually shared.

* * *

Hermione quickly undressed and pulled out a pair of shorts and a tee-shirt from Harry's dresser drawer. She contemplated funning to the bathroom to brush her teeth, always having felt cleaner doing it the muggle way, and decided she was too tired and charmed them clean instead. She padded over to Harry's bed and quickly slid in, already looking forward to the deep sleep that awaited her. The sheets were cool, smooth and smelled like a mixture of fresh laundry and Harry's body wash. With practiced efficiency, she fluffed the pillows and positioned them perfectly with one beneath her head and the other drawn to her chest as she lay on her side cuddling it. In a snap decision she levitated Ron's pillows over to nestle closely along her back and bent legs. Her eyes fluttered shut as she inhaled deeply. Memories of the warm safe feeling of being sandwiched between Harry and Ron while they camped out during the war came flooding back to her, gently lulling her to sleep.

* * *

Harry quickly stripped to his boxers and neatly folded his clothes and placed them on a chair before sliding into bed next to Ginny. Sensing the presence of a warm body, Ginny rolled over and quickly cuddled up to his chest with a satisfied sigh. He smile as a flood of love filled his chest so viciously it hurt. He wound his arms around her and held her possessively close, the physical contact providing some relief to the emotional turmoil gnawing at him inside.

He was still seething from Hermione's story, but knew she was right. It would hardly solve anything for any of them if he barged into the man's house and demanded a duel. Especially since the man didn't know the full situation and would think he's gone insane and demand an explanation. And it wasn't Harry's place to share it.

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	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

Lavender stirred slightly before snuggling closer to Ron's warm body. She used to find his naturally hairless chest and stomach borderline unnerving, much more used to men with a more than generous helping of body hair. But she quickly grew to love it; the bareness was much more comfortable against her sensitive skin and afforded her a much better view of his toned muscles. She only barely registered the kiss dropped in her shoulder before falling back to sleep.

Ron held her close waiting for the tell-tale deep breathing that would indicate she'd fallen back into a deep sleep. Then he carefully disentangled their limbs and slipped out of bed. Quietly maneuvering around the clothes haphazardly strewn over the floor, he located his boxers and pulled them on. After a quick stop in the bathroom to freshen up, he stalked into the kitchen and began to pull out ingredients to make breakfast. He had no misconceptions about his cooking abilities, or lack thereof, but prided himself in always paying close enough attention to figure out the likes and dislikes of a date and how to make the dishes they favored most. Before beginning he started a pot of coffee, knowing the smell would help rouse Lavender.

* * *

An insistent ringing and soft hum pulled Hermione from her much needed rest. Confused, she gazed bleary eyed around the room as her mind slowly awakened. Finally her gaze landed on the dresser and she figured out the source of the offending noise. Still not fully awake, she dragged her body from the soft, warm bed and padded over to the wand to remove the alarm charm. Yawning and stretching, her mind finally began producing coherent thoughts, reminding her why she'd set the alarm in the first place.

Excitement serving to finally fully awaken her, she grinned and darted from the room to the bathroom to get cleaned up. On her way back she _accio_ed a pair of jeans, a tee-shirt, a sweat-shirt, socks and her tennis shoes from her room. Minutes later she was dressed with her hair pulled back into a pony-tail and ready to do some heavy lifting. She eyed the clock trying to decide if nine-thirty was too early to run over to Lavender's. With a shrug she grabbed a book, figuring she could fix breakfast and read if they were… occupied when she arrived.

* * *

Ron was putting the finishing touches on a Western Omelet and some toast when a prickle at the back of his neck sent shivers down his spine. Not paying it any mind at first, he finished up and carefully placed it on a breakfast tray. He lifted it and turned just in time to see Hermione enter the kitchen, obviously not expecting to see him. Their eyes connected for a split second before they registered one another. Obviously startled, Hermione jumped and silently gasped; Ron audibly yelped and dropped the tray. It had barely fallen below his knees when it halted, reflexively caught by Hermione, and skillfully levitated back to Ron's hands without dropping a single thing.

"Sorry about that," she smiled lightly. "I was just coming to see if I could lend a hand. Don't let me interrupt." As if to illustrate her point, she sat at the table and pulled out her book while the coffee poured itself into a cup and began to fix itself.

"Um…" Ron was at a loss of what to do, not realizing at first what she was talking about. Finally catching on that Lavender must have spoken to her about last night beforehand, he replaced the tray on the counter.

"An extra set of hands would be great," he belatedly confirmed as he poured another cup of coffee. "Have you eaten yet?"

"No," her sheepish tone saying she'd obviously forgotten in her excitement.

"Scrambled eggs and fruit?" He offered already anticipating the answer.

"Naturally," she grinned. It wasn't necessarily her favorite breakfast, but it was her usual request if for no other reason but its safe simplicity. She resumed her book when he exited the room, knowing he was bringing the coffee to Lavender to wake her up, and get dressed. Deciding to be productive, she quickly set the table with the prepared breakfast for two and began to cook her own meal. It wasn't long before the couple returned, also dressed for heavy lifting. Both Lavender and Hermione rolled their eyes affectionately when Ron grabbed his omelet and gentle pushed Hermione away from the stove to finish making her food while eating his own.

As they ate they planned out what things would be moved in and what would be placed into storage. The first decision reached was that Harry and Ron would move everything while the women arranged and organized it all.

* * *

Bill stretched in bed and glanced at his bedside clock. "_Bloody fucker,"_ he glared at it irritably seeing that today he'd managed to wake up well over an hour before the useless bugger went off. He remained frozen like that for a moment or two, contemplating all the different ways he could destroy the offending object before deciding he didn't feel like wasting money on a new one. Instead, he opted to take out his primal frustration in an early morning exercise.

He was already in the habit of keeping a rigorous fitness regime, thanks to his former position, but today he overdid it by a lot. Masochistically, he'd decided against taking any preemptive measures against the impending muscle pain, knowing on some level he was going to need it, but consciously deciding against it. To a degree, he was aware that the over the top work out was due to last night's mishap, and somewhere in his twisted mind he figured that letting himself wallow in pain would be the perfect way to distract himself from it while still punishing himself.

_"When the hell did I become such a basket case anyway?"_ His thoughts once again sounded like his brother. _"Because one Charlie wasn't enough,"_ he rolled his eyes at himself, _"I just had to make myself an inner Charlie too."_ He chuckled to himself at the thought, warning himself to never tell the real one that his mini-me was running around in his big brother's head. Suddenly he began to laugh quite openly, the thought stuck in his head as he imagined it. _"I've officially gone insane,"_ he finally recovered; glad no one had witnessed the episode.

It was his new found joviality that led him to decide to pay a surprise visit to Grimbles and Rosenwyn, choosing to ignore the rudeness of unannounced visits in favor of seeking some sane company. Besides, he wanted to make sure the goblin was feeling better after yesterday.

* * *

When Grimbles first began working the night shift at Gringotts it had been bittersweet. He was finally living home, where he belonged, but still rarely got to spend time with Rosenwyn because of conflicting schedules. Fortunately they learned to make up for lost time on the weekends. Somehow Grimbles always managed to reverse his sleep patterns so he was up during the day and still could fall back into schedule during the week.

Because their time was so limited, the couple always took the week to ensure every errand was completed and any visiting with family or friends was done so they could just focus on each other. And in return, their family and friends were always conscientious of not cutting into their time together. Sometimes too conscientious, forcing the couple to go extra lengths to invite them over and assure them that they were in fact sure they wanted company. Naturally, it was their best of friends, the few people they were closest to, who they were the worst offenders.

The morning had been a pretty typical one so far, with Grimbles giving a detailed account of the day before over breakfast. They were clearing the table idly discussing what to do with the rest of their day when Bill strolled in behind them and sat at the table natural as can be. He silently eavesdropped on the mundane conversation as he ever so slowly levitated a loaf of Rosenwyn's homemade banana bread to himself, taking care to not get caught stealing the delicious treat.

"I wonder what made her decide to work at Gringotts," Rosenwyn said after a moment of silence, confusing Bill with the sudden change of subject. "I thought for sure she'd go into the Ministry… maybe become an Auror, though I doubt there's much more training they could provide."

"I was surprised at first too," Grimbles had no trouble following his wife's thought process, "but after yesterday I understand a little better. I don't know how to describe it, but she has this sort of quality about her…" he trailed off with a shrug. Bill realized they were talking about Hermione. The irony that the place he'd come to avoid thinking about her was filled with conversation about her wasn't lost on him.

"What's she like?" Rosenwyn couldn't resist asking as she finished the dishes and began putting away the ones Grimbles dried. "I wish I could meet her." The pretty dwarf's voice was filled with longing.

"Who said you couldn't?" Bill spoke up, always a sucker for that wishful tone. He could never resist an opportunity to make her smile at him. Belatedly he realized that announcing his presence before the dishes were done was not the best of ideas. He quickly caught the plates before the dropped. The couple jumped slightly when he levitated the dishes to the cabinet, having not realized they had dropped them or that he'd caught them.

"Bill!" Rosenwyn finally squealed excitedly as she dashed forward to hug him hello. Behind her Grimbles began laughing, though Bill couldn't figure out why until she pulled back asking if he wanted some brunch. At first he was confused by the hinting tone before realizing he'd forgotten about the half eaten loaf of bread still in his hand. Laughing, he pointed out he already had his brunch and bit off a large chunk, exaggerating his enjoyment of it.

"Sorry for dropping in like this," he insincerely apologized, letting himself be lead into the living room. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine. Just fine, thank you," Grimbles dismissively replied.

"Don't be silly, we couldn't be happier you did," Rosenwyn brushed off his apology at the same time.

"Whoever said you couldn't meet Hermione," Bill repeated his earlier question after they settled into their seats.

"No one had to **tell** me," Rosenwyn answered, "she's a busy, important woman. I couldn't disturb her with something so trivial."

Bill fixed the couple with a hard stare, obviously disapproving of the self-deprecating statement. "Trust me, she wouldn't see it that way," he voice was low and sure, attracting curious looks. "I'll introduce you," he promised.

* * *

The figure carefully stepped through the threshold, holding its breath as it waited to see if any booby-traps had been set off. When none were forthcoming, it stepped further in, taking in the modern but homely atmosphere. The figure slinked from room to room, peeking around corners on high alert for traps. Confirming the residence was empty, a devious smirk formed as the figure settled in to await the arrival of its target.

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	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

Hermione surveyed Lavender's flat, nodding approvingly. It had taken all day, but they'd managed to seamlessly meld Ron's things with hers, somehow giving the perfect touch to the already finished rooms. Ron had insisted on treating everyone to pizza as a thank you. Hermione and Harry were quick to tease him, insisting the man would do anything to justify indulging in the muggle fast food. There was an awkward moment when they both insisted the other stay and rest while they went with Ron to retrieve the food. It was painstakingly obvious that they both wanted to speak privately with the third member of their trio. Finally, chivalry won out, demanding that Harry concede to Hermione's request.

With a grateful but triumphant grin, Hermione quickly gathered the needed belongings and hurried out the door.

"Okay spill it Potter," Lavender fixed a hard stare on Harry the moment she was sure they wouldn't return.

"What?" Harry gave her his most innocent look. She wasn't buying it.

"You were pretty determined to talk to Ron," she pointed out.

"Obviously about Hermione,' Ginny added knowingly. Harry hesitated. He'd wanted to talk to Ron, not to break his promise, but just beat around the bush and try to quell the ill feeling in his gut.

"Harry," Ginny rested her hand on his arm, looking up at him in concern, "what happened?"

Truly hating to lie, he grimaced and finally told them the truth. "I can't say. I was hoping just to talk to Ron to ease some ill feelings."

The women exchanged worried looks, not liking knowing that there was a problem with their friend and they had to take a backseat and wait it out. Ginny nodded tensely, followed soon by Lavender, silently acknowledging that if there was anyone that would take complete care of Hermione, it was Harry. The air was heavy with feelings of unease as they began to set the tale, preparing for the ensuing meal.

* * *

Hermione and Ron strolled out of the building in silence, each just comfortable in one another's company. Once outside, they paused to take in the cool evening air. Unthinkingly, Ron held out his bent arm for Hermione to slide hers through before they continued along in an unhurried stroll.

"What's on your mind?" Ron bluntly asked when they rounded the corner. He waited with surprising patience while Hermione gathered her thoughts.

"I take it moving in together was a quick decision," she finally started.

"Of course," Ron glanced at her from the corner of his eye, wondering just where she was going with this.

"So easy, even Lavender could do it," Hermione added dryly. Ron shot her a dark look, obviously taking the statement as an insult to Lavender. Hermione ignored it, letting him process it. For his credit, Ron had steadily improved his temper control, and actually stopped to think.

"What exactly are you hinting at?" His voice a little rough with irritation.

"Lavender was pretty nervous about asking you to move in. Apparently, when your boyfriend never talks about the future and always lets you make the first move to go to the next level, a girl gets nervous," Hermione's voice was not accusatory, but rather factual. "It's not long before she starts wondering if it's worth it… if **he's** worth it." She felt Ron's muscles tense beneath her hand, looked over at his face, and saw that her message had been heard loud and clear. She squeezed his arm and raised her free hand to stoke it comfortingly. "Of course, that's just conjecture…" Ron nodded and relaxed a little. They remained silent the short remaining distance to the parlor, each lost in their own thoughts.

"Thanks Hermione," Ron finally murmured as he dropped a kiss on the top of her head. Hermione smiled in response as he slid away to retrieve the delicious smelling pies. The walk back was filled with idle chatter, propelled primarily by Ron. It was obvious there was something else on her mind, and equally obvious she wasn't about to share it with him. Once again he felt a pang in his chest, knowing he'd long ago killed his hopes of ever being part of her inner sanctum again.

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	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

Bill had only intended to stay an hour or two, but was forced to stay for dinner with several threats. Though he could hardly complain about having to eat the deliciously exotic fish dish whose name he could never hope to properly pronounce. It was well after dark before he finally took his leave, despite the couple's insistent efforts to convince him to say the night. After bidding them both a good-night, but before leaving, he turned and said "On Monday, why don't you come by and we'll grab lunch?"

At first, the only response was Grimbles' knowing grin and Rosenwyn's black look. Then, Rosenwyn flushed prettily and nodded, excitement showing in her eyes. "How about that little French bistro? My treat," she offered. Bill knew she was dying to invite Hermione to join, but would never let on out of pure propriety. There was a pregnant pause, and Bill's lips twitched as he fought back a gin while Rosenwyn's eyes grew wide in anticipation.

"Better tell her before she passes out," Grimbles laughingly came to his wife's rescue after several more silent seconds; she'd been unconsciously holding her breath and looked like she didn't know whether to scream or cry.

"Heaven's forbid!" Bill finally burst out laughing as Rosenwyn pouted, her lips quivering as she tried no to join in the men's laughter. "I was planning on taking Hermione for sushi. If that's alright with you," he added rhetorically, mostly out of good manners.

"Oh yes," Rosenwyn breathed, her eyes growing wide again, "it's absolutely fine, thank you."

* * *

The flash of green flames in the fireplace jolted the figure on the couch awake. With surprising speed, it ran to cover, anticipation of pouncing on its prey jolting it wide awake despite the early morning hour.

Bill had barely passed through the threshold and looked up to see the rest of the room before something barreled full-bodily into him, effectively knocking him to his back. A full on battle ensued with limbs flying, hard hits landing and loud grunts of pain and triumph filling the air.

"Bloody hell, **enough**!" Bill gasped out when he got the attacker into a headlock. When he refused to relent, Bill smoothly slid into a sleeper-hold, restricting his airflow with just enough control to prevent him from completely losing consciousness. "Dammit Charlie, **enough**!" Ever the hot-head, Charlie continued to struggle until he saw stars. Finally, he let his body go lax and held his hands up in surrender. A moment later, Bill unleashed his hold and the two brothers broke away, panting for breath. "What the bloody hell!"

"My thought exactly," Charlie leveled a look at Bill. Slowly, they stood and automatically made their way to the kitchen. Bill shot him a questioning glace as he put on the tea kettle, deciding three in the morning was too late, or too early, for anything stronger. Charlie sat in the seat occupied by Hermione just the night before and pulled out Bill's most recent letter. "I was in the country, so your letter arrived early. Sounded like this was a conversation to have in person."

While they waited for the water to boil, Bill recapped everything, both in his letter and since he'd sent it. Throughout the story, Charlie, who's initially come to give his brother a good-natured hard time, grew more and more somber.

"Damn man, you've got it bad," Charlie shook his head as Bill poured their tea, "and for **Granger**. You have no idea what you're getting yourself into."

"Wanna bet," Bill grumbled into his drink.

"No. Cause you'd lose. It isn't just Harry and our family you have to worry about," Charlie caught Bill's attention "The worst ones are going to be Harry, Lupin, Sirius and Malfoy."

"**Malfoy**?" Bill automatically, the rest of the list still processing. Charlie nodded.

"I see them and some of their friends occasionally. They're the ones closest to her. Loyal as dogs, fiercely protective and her closest friends. They're very private about it; only the people closest to them all can see it. They won't make this crush of yours easy. Especially after the way you royally fucked up yesterday. You're lucky they haven't broken in and attacked you already."

Normally Bill would have called his brother out on bullshitting him, but there was something about the younger man's countenance that had him glancing around nervously. "I don't understand…" He instinctively knew he was missing something.

"I'm not too sure how complete or accurate my knowledge is… I'm technically not supposed to know anything." Bill nodded. In spite of, or perhaps due to, his isolation from the rest of them, Charlie's isolation from the rest of them, everyone tended to feel safe dropping tidbits of gossip and information with him, which he quickly pieced together for the full story.

"Apparently, not too long ago, Hermione found herself a boyfriend; her first since Ron mind you. So while it irked everyone that she was distant and that they never saw her, they played it off. People were starting to talk about true love and weddings. Her friends, our family included, felt pretty insulted they were being pushed away, and even pushed back. Except for Harry, Sirius, Lupin and Malfoy. They kept it to themselves, but it was obvious something about the relationship didn't sit well with them."

Sensing he wasn't going to enjoy what he was about to hear, Bill stood and poured a few **very** strong drinks and gestured for Charlie to follow him. They made their way down the hall to Bill's private study, and settled themselves comfortably in their seats. As an afterthought, he silently _accioed_ the rest of the bottle to a nearby table. "Something tells me I'm gonna need it," he murmured, nodding at the bottle, instinctive alarms going off in his mind. Charlie grimily nodded, confirming his suspicions.

"It was reported by a little teenage girl who worked at a dinner in the neighborhood. She was terrified when she went to report it. Merlin bless her, she was so determined to help she reported it to St. Mudgo's **and** marched into the Ministry to the Aurors."

"How bad?" Bill interrupted his body tense and voice dangerously low. The liquor in his glass threatened to spill over, his tight grip and shaking hand not unnoticed by Charlie.

"Initially?" Bill's stomach dropped sickeningly. "Just the typical signs of habitual physical abuse." Bill all but stopped breathing at the forced casual tone Charlie used, already dreading the rest of the story.

"Harry's an Auror and Malfoy's a healer, so it wasn't long before they found out. They immediately when to the flat she was sharing with him with Lupin and Sirius," Charlie refused to meet Bill's eyes, obviously struggling to continue.

"**What happened Charlie**," Bill ground out, feeling sick.

"There was a group of them…" Charlie shook his head. Bill growled, the ferocity clashing with his pale face. "Rape was apparently is… preferred method of abuse…" Charlie shook violently with anger, "and apparently letting his friends join in was a regular source of cash flow."

"**SON OF A BITCH!**" Bill roared as he threw his glass. It shattered, doing little to satisfy his anger. Charlie winced, but continued. He knew he didn't have any right to be telling Bill this, but Bill deserved to know. It was impossible to explain, but he just knew he did… that he **had** to.

"A full on battle happened, until the Minister arrived," Bill froze where he stood, giving Charlie a surprised look. "Shacklebot grabbed Hermione and took her away. Most likely to Madam Pomfrey. She's one of the best of the best, and Hermione knows and trusts her," Bill nodded, gesturing impatiently for more. Charlie shrugged helplessly.

"Aurors weren't dispatched until the next day… Harry and the others were still there… after sixteen hours unsupervised with the men. All I know is if you tried to look up any record of the men, you'd find nothing. As far as the wizarding world in concerned, they never existed."

"Shit," Bill hissed, knowing full well not a single man survived the night, or went quickly. It spoke volumes of the loyalty Hermione inspired that no one else knew about any of this. "And Hermione?" Bill braced himself for the one thing he'd been dreading to hear the most.

"The common bruises and repeated breaks – done strategically to be hidden. Consistent, repeated rape and sodomy… and signs of more than one abortion. Merlin only knows about the mental and emotional damage."

Bill ran from the room, Charlie hot on his heels. Moments later he was kneeling, violently depositing everything he'd eaten that day into the toilet. Charlie grimaced and picked his way around his brother's large form to sit next to him on the edge of the tub. He pulled out his wand and muttered a few charms to levitate the cup at the sink over and fill it with cool water. Sympathetically, he waited until Bill was finally reduced to dry heaving.

"Rinse and spit," he handed him the glass. Bill obediently obeyed while Charlie removed his hair tie and pulled his hair into a neater, looser pony-tail for him. "Better?" Bill grunted and leaned back on his heels.

"Now what?" he asked helplessly. Charlie shrugged and rested his hand on Bill's shoulder.

"Now, big brother, **I** get to help **you**," Charlie squeezed and rubbed Bill's shoulder reassuringly. Bill gave him a questioning look. "All I need is a spare room and your promised silence, and I can send in an owl to take say… a weeklong vacation." Charlie raised his eyebrows in question.

Bill nodded and rested his hand on Charlie's knee. Charlie nodded, easily understanding his brother's unspoken gratefulness. As the eldest of the Weasley brood, they grew up with a special bond. It was that bond that told Charlie he'd needed to see Bill, and that told him that Bill needed the extra security of knowing he was there and at the ready to help. Likewise, it was that bond that made it unnecessary for Bill to question Charlie's desire for his presence to be kept secret. He knew first hand that his visits home, particularly when living abroad, tended to be all together exhausting.

His stomach finally beginning to settle, Bill stood shakily, cleaned away any offending evidence of his sickness, and splashed cold water over his face and neck. "Thanks," he took the hand towel Charlie held out. "I'll prepare a room for you while you pick up your things."

"Both are done, I'm all settled in," Charlie ginned, following Bill out the door.

"Of course you are," Bill shook his head, amusement showing in his eyes.

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